Ellison Working with U.S. Treasury on Somali Money Transfers
Rep. Keith Ellison and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are seeking a balance between helping Somalia and preventing terrorism.
Rep. Keith Ellison and Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken are working with the U.S. Treasury to find a way for Somali-Americans to send money to Somalia without facilitating transfers to terrorist groups. In a conference call Thursday, Ellison noted that money Somali immigrants send to their famine-stricken homeland dwarfs foreign aid from the federal government. “Really no degree of foreign aid can replace the remittances that they’re sending back to their families every day,” Ellison said, estimating that they total well in excess of $100 million annually. “Remittances are a primary way to keep Somalia afloat.” By contrast, the U.S. Agency for International Development reports that it provided $47 million to the country in fiscal year …
