| A helping hand for Haiti |
By: By U. S. Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.)
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Posted: Friday, June 20, 2008 9:44 am
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In light of the recent worldwide food price increases, Haiti is facing an acute economic crisis. Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere and is just 700 miles off the coast of my home state of Florida. As Americans, and especially as African Americans, we must come to the aid of the Haitian people.
In Haiti, where the typical Haitian makes $2 a day, the increase in food prices is unsustainable for the typical Haitian. In addition to the food price crisis, Haiti suffers from a high percentage of joblessness, which results in persistent poverty. During my 11 trips to Haiti since my election to Congress in 2002, I have observed firsthand the obstacles Haiti must overcome to revitalize their economy. For me, and my South Florida constituents, this is an issue which concerns us deeply.
During my most recent trip to Haiti on April 20 and 21, I met with Haitian President René Préval, U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Janet Sanderson and representatives from the international community. President Préval and I discussed ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people. The President has determined that over the next six months, Haiti requires: 30,000 metric tons of rice (4 percent broken quality) per month; 15,000 metric tons of wheat per month; and 7,000 tons of cooking oil per month.
Upon my return from Haiti on April 22, 2008, I wrote a letter to U.S. President George W. Bush urging him to allocate to Haiti at least $15 million in direct monetary assistance from the Bill Emerson Humanitarian Trust, which helps nations facing surging food prices. In addition, letters were written to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. Agency for International Development Director Henrietta H. Fore explaining the importance of the U.S. involvement in providing humanitarian support for the country.
Haiti has many strong supporters in the U.S. Congress, especially within the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). Members of the CBC traveled to Haiti in mid-May on a fact-finding mission and have returned with an increased sense of commitment to assist Haiti. Already we as a Caucus are taking the lead in urging the international community to provide immediate debt relief to the Haitian government. This year, Haiti will send $48.7 million in debt payments to multilateral financial institutions. That money can be better spent to assist the Haitian people.
And, the CBC has also renewed its support for granting Haitians residing in the United States Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary immigration status. TPS may be granted when any of the following conditions are met: there is ongoing armed conflict posing a serious threat to personal safety; it is requested by a foreign state that temporarily cannot handle the return of nationals due to environmental disaster; or when extraordinary and temporary conditions in a foreign state exist which prevent aliens from returning.
On May 15, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encourage Act of 2008 (HOPE II). HOPE II is vital legislation which expands trade preferences to Haiti. Humanitarian assistance for Haiti in the short run is critical, but creating jobs by revitalizing the Haitian economy in the long run is essential.
The international community is playing a vital role in stabilizing Haiti, but ultimately it is Haitians who need to rebuild their economy by developing homegrown industries, and HOPE II gives Haitians that opportunity.
The Congressional Black Caucus is actively working and advocating on behalf of Haiti in the U.S. Congress. We have remained engaged on this subject long before the current situation in Haiti began garnering worldwide attention, and we will remain engaged for the indefinite future.
U.S. Rep. Kendrick B. Meek represents the 17th Congressional District of Florida which includes parts of Miami-Dade and Broward Counties. He serves on the House Committee on Armed Services and is the lone Floridian sitting on the House Committee on Ways and Means.
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