S. 1783Senate119th Congress (2025-2027)In Committee

Combating Global Poverty Through Energy Development Act

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Updated November 24, 2025 at 12:31 AM UTC

The Combating Global Poverty Through Energy Development Act directs the United States to use its influence at major multilateral development banks to stop and reverse any policies that limit financing for coal, oil, natural gas, or civil nuclear energy projects. By doing so, the bill aims to help developing nations access affordable and reliable power, while tying U.S. funding to the World Bank to the adoption of pro‑energy financing policies. The bill affects the Treasury Department, U.S. representatives at the listed international financial institutions, and the institutions themselves.

Key Provisions

The Treasury Secretary must tell the United States’ representatives at each listed international financial institution to use the U.S. vote and influence to block any rules that limit or ban financing for coal, oil, natural gas, or civil nuclear projects, and to work to remove any such rules that already exist.
For the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank), the U.S. must push to reverse its current limits on financing coal power, upstream oil and gas exploration, and civil nuclear projects.
U.S. contributions to the World Bank cannot exceed 50 % of the total amount made available for any fiscal year until the Bank has eliminated the restrictive rules and adopted a policy that actively promotes financing of coal, oil, natural gas, and civil nuclear projects.
The Treasury Secretary, together with the Secretaries of State and Energy, the Export‑Import Bank president, the head of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, and other agencies, must identify ways the U.S. can help developing countries obtain affordable, reliable power from these energy sources.
The Treasury must submit a report to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee within 180 days of enactment and annually thereafter, listing the restrictive rules at each institution, describing U.S. efforts to eliminate them, and outlining progress on the identified steps.

Legislative Activity

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1 earlier action

SenateIntro Referral Latest Action

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S2953-2954)

Foreign Relations Committee

May 15, 2025

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SenateIntro Referral

Introduced in Senate

May 15, 2025

SenateIntro Referral

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations. (text: CR S2953-2954)

Foreign Relations Committee

May 15, 2025

Floor Debate

2 members

What members said about S. 1783 on the floor

1 Republican1 Democrat

Sen. Alex PadillaD-CA · May 15, 2025

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act, which would do two things: expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park by 20,000 acres and rename the…

Mr. President, I rise today to introduce the Joshua Tree National Park Expansion Act, which would do two things: expand the boundary of Joshua Tree National Park by 20,000 acres and rename the Cottonwood Visitor Center at Joshua Tree in honor of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein.

In 2016, the National Park Service, in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management, prepared the Eagle Mountain Boundary Study for an area within the Eagle Mountains, located in Riverside County, CA. The purpose of the study and environmental assessment was to consider whether to expand Joshua Tree National Park to include additional lands, and to develop alternatives for protecting cultural, natural, and scenic resources related to the purpose of the National Park.

NPS' selected alternative recommends expanding the National Park by the more than 20,000 acres of federally managed lands covered by my legislation. Notably, these lands are adjacent to the National Park. NPS found that doing so could allow for greater protection of existing habitat, restoration opportunities, and landscape connectivity for wildlife such as bighorn sheep, as well as new visitor opportunities.

In addition to the expansion of the park, this bill would celebrate Senator Feinstein's historic legacy of protecting the California desert--including the creation of Joshua Tree National Park itself--by renaming a visitor center at Joshua Tree National Park in her honor.

Senator Feinstein was known as a great protector of the California desert, and some have lovingly referred to her as the ``Queen of the Desert.'' Senator Feinstein was the driving force behind the establishment of Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, the Mojave National Preserve, the Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument, the Mojave Trails National Monument, the Sand to Snow National Monument, and the Castle Mountains National Monument. In all, it is estimated that Senator Feinstein protected over 3 million acres of the California desert.

In 2019, on the 25th anniversary of the passage of Senator Feinstein's landmark ``California Desert Protection Act,'' Senator Feinstein wrote: ``When I think of the California desert, I think of magnificent landscapes and mountain vistas. I think of beautiful species like bighorn sheep, mule deer and desert tortoises. I think of unique vegetation like the beautiful wildflower blooms and iconic Joshua trees. And I think of the long history of local Native American tribes. The California desert is a true American treasure. Our efforts over the past 25 years have resulted in the largest areas of public lands protected in the lower 48 states--that is something truly to celebrate.''

I look forward to working with my colleagues to enact this legislation as soon as possible.

Sen. John BarrassoR-WY · May 15, 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Sen. John BarrassoR-WY · May 15, 2025

Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the text of the bill be printed in the Record.

Bill Text

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Introduced in SenateIssued May 15, 2025

119th CONGRESS

1st Session

S. 1783

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

May 15, 2025

Mr. Barrasso (for himself, Ms. Lummis, Mr. Ricketts, Mrs. Blackburn, Mr. Cruz, Mr. Lee, and Mr. Hagerty) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

A BILL

To support financing of affordable and reliable energy projects by international financial institutions, and for other purposes.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Combating Global Poverty Through Energy Development Act.

Opposition to restrictions by international financial institutions on financing of certain energy projects

(a)

In general

The Secretary shall instruct the United States Executive Director of each covered international financial institution to use the voice, vote, and influence of the United States—

(1)

to oppose any rule, regulation, policy, or guideline that would restrict, prohibit, or have the effect of restricting or prohibiting, the financing of coal, oil, natural gas, or civil nuclear energy projects; and

(2)

to rescind each rule, regulation, policy, or guideline that, as of the date of the enactment of this Act, restricts or prohibits such financing.

(b)

Reversal of policies at International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

The Secretary shall instruct the United States Executive Director of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development to immediately and vigorously pursue policy changes at the Bank, through formal initiatives and through bilateral discussions, that will result in the reversal of the Bank’s—

(1)

restrictions on financing coal power generation;

(2)

prohibitions on financing upstream oil and gas exploration and production; and

(3)

prohibition on financing of civil nuclear energy projects.

(c)

Limitation on funds for International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

Not more than 50 percent of amounts made available for the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for fiscal year 2026 or any fiscal year thereafter may be obligated or expended until the Secretary certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the Bank—

(1)

has rescinded any rule, regulation, policy, or guideline that restricts or prohibits, or would have the effect of restricting or prohibiting, the financing of any coal, oil, natural gas, or civil nuclear energy project; and

(2)

has in effect a policy promoting the financing of coal, oil, natural gas, and civil nuclear energy projects.

(d)

Promotion of financing of energy projects

The Secretary, in collaboration with the Secretary of State, the Secretary of Energy, the President of the Export-Import Bank of the United States, the Chief Executive Officer of the United States International Development Finance Corporation, and the heads of other appropriate Federal agencies, shall identify steps the United States can take to promote international financing of energy projects, including coal, oil, and natural gas projects, in order to help developing countries access affordable and reliable power.

(e)

Report required

Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and annually thereafter, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report that includes the following:

(1)

A list of all of the rules, regulations, policies, or guidelines of each covered international financial institution that would restrict, prohibit, or have the effect of restricting or prohibiting, the financing of coal, oil, natural gas, or civil nuclear energy projects.

(2)

A detailed description of the efforts of the United States Executive Director of each such institution to eliminate those rules, regulations, policies, or guidelines.

(3)

A description of the steps identified under subsection (d) and progress made in implementing those steps.

(f)

Definitions

In this section:

(1)

Appropriate congressional committees

The term appropriate congressional committees means the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Senate and the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the House of Representatives.

(2)

Covered international financial institution

The term covered international financial institution means any of the following:

(A)

The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

(B)

The International Development Association.

(C)

The International Finance Corporation.

(D)

The International Monetary Fund.

(E)

The Inter-American Development Bank.

(F)

The Inter-American Investment Corporation.

(G)

The North American Development Bank.

(H)

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

(I)

The African Development Bank.

(J)

The African Development Fund.

(K)

The Asian Development Bank.

(3)

Secretary

The term Secretary means the Secretary of the Treasury.