Sign up for our daily briefing
Make your busy days simpler with Axios AM/PM. Catch up on what's new and why it matters in just 5 minutes.
Stay on top of the latest market trends
Subscribe to Axios Markets for the latest market trends and economic insights. Sign up for free.
Sports news worthy of your time
Binge on the stats and stories that drive the sports world with Axios Sports. Sign up for free.
Tech news worthy of your time
Get our smart take on technology from the Valley and D.C. with Axios Login. Sign up for free.
Get the inside stories
Get an insider's guide to the new White House with Axios Sneak Peek. Sign up for free.
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Catch up on coronavirus stories and special reports, curated by Mike Allen everyday
Want a daily digest of the top Denver news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Denver
Want a daily digest of the top Des Moines news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Des Moines
Want a daily digest of the top Twin Cities news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Twin Cities
Want a daily digest of the top Tampa Bay news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Tampa Bay
Want a daily digest of the top Charlotte news?
Get a daily digest of the most important stories affecting your hometown with Axios Charlotte
Photo: Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) delivered a speech on the floor of the Senate Thursday calling for scrutiny into the World Bank's $50 million loan approved for China's Xinjiang region, where nearly a million Uighur Muslims have been detained in internment camps.
Why it matters: The speech comes days after the House voted overwhelmingly in favor of a bill pushing for sanctions on China over its mass detention of the ethnic minority, as Congress continues to pressure U.S.-based organizations that may be complicit.
What he's saying: "Given the repeated reports about repression in Xinjiang that date back years, it is hard to see how any project in that region could meet the Bank's social framework standards," Grassley said.
- Grassley highlighted the U.S.' contribution to the World Bank, which is larger than any other nation's: "I think many Americans would question why so many American tax dollars are going to support low-interest loans to China."
- The Iowa senator said China, which has the world's second largest economy, is past the threshold for World Bank funding, which he said is designed "to help poor countries that cannot access capital markets."
Grassley also said that Russia, which like China is a recipient of World Bank loans, has "well surpassed the World Bank’s graduation threshold" and is effectively an "outlaw state."
- He cited Russia's occupation of parts of Georgia and Ukraine and its efforts to interfere in democratic elections in the U.S. and around the world.
The bottom line: The World Bank "should not be lending to wealthy countries that violate the human rights of their citizens and attempt to dominate weaker countries either militarily or economically," Grassley said.
What to watch: Grassley said he is proposing an amendment to the State-Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill that would require the U.S. to work to defeat World Bank projects for any country that has reached the institution's "graduation threshold," as well as those designated by the State Department as a “country of particular concern for religious freedom."
Go deeper: