House Passes Reps. Kim, Castro Bill to Fight Global Poverty

Press Release

Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Millennium Challenge Corporation Eligibility Expansion Act (H.R. 8463), a bipartisan bill that would expand the number of countries eligible for development partnerships with the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).

H.R. 8463 was introduced by U.S. Reps. Young Kim (CA-39) and Joaquin Castro (TX-20) with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Gregory Meeks (NY-05) and Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) and Chrissy Houlahan (PA-06) as original cosponsors.

"The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is critical to our global fight against poverty, especially as families around the world are hurting from rising inflation, food supply chain disruptions and increased conflict," said Rep. Kim. "The MCC also plays an important role in giving countries an alternative to the People's Republic of China's Belt and Road Initiative. This bipartisan bill will give the MCC flexibility to continue fostering transparent U.S. financing options in the countries that need it most. I'm grateful to Rep. Castro for working with me on this effort and my House colleagues for supporting our mission to advance responsible, long-term solutions to global poverty and economic development."

"Over the last 18 years, the Millennium Challenge Corporation's targeted partnerships have enabled lasting progress in the fight against global poverty," said Rep. Castro, Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations, International Development, and Global Corporate Social Impact. "As the MCC looks ahead to the challenges and opportunities of the future, this bill will ensure it has the flexibility to partner with countries where it can do the greatest good. I thank my colleagues, especially Rep. Young Kim, for working to build support for our bill on both sides of the aisle, and I urge our Senate colleagues to move swiftly to send this bill to President Biden's desk."

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