House Committee Chairmen Sends Letter to President Regarding the Next World Bank President

Chairs stress importance of nominee’s commitment to the anti-poverty mission

Washington, DC - Four House Committee Chairmen sent a letter on Thursday, to President Bush concerning the next president of the World Bank.  The Chairmen called on the president to seek a replacement from a global pool of candidates, and stated, “Your nomination is an opportunity to send a loud and unambigulous signal of the commitment of the United States to the Bank’s core anti-poverty mission.”

The full text of the letter signed by House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank, House Appropriations Committee Chairman David R. Obey, House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos, as follows:

May 24, 2007

The Honorable George W. Bush
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500 

Dear Mr. President,

You will soon nominate a candidate for the presidency of the World Bank, and we wanted to take this opportunity to share our thoughts as you consider this important decision.  This nomination comes at a critical time for the world’s most important development agency.  Regardless of what one thinks about the process leading up to Mr. Wolfowitz’s resignation there can be no doubt that the affair has left the staff, board and, most importantly the eighty-one poorest nations who depended upon the Bank’s resources and technical skill deeply concerned about what happens next.   Your nomination is an opportunity to send a loud and unambiguous signal of the commitment of the United States to the Bank’s core anti-poverty mission.

There has been much discussion of whether or not the nominee should or must be an American.  We think that misses the point.  The nominee should be deeply committed to American values, but need not have an American address.  The global pool of talent is deep, and we should make it clear that the United States believes that the best nominee could come from anywhere.

We also urge you to use this opportunity to make it clear that we will work openly and cooperatively with our partners to identify the woman or man with the right mix of intellectual, management and diplomatic skills.  This would not only be the right thing to do but would also signal that our country is fully committed to the multi-lateral agencies.

Barney Frank                                                                David R. Obey 

Member of Congress                                                     Member of Congress

Charles Rangel                                                              Tom Lantos

Member of Congress                                                      Member of Congress