[Pages H532-H539]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Ohio (Ms. Fudge) is recognized
for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.
General Leave
Ms. FUDGE. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be
given 5 legislative days to enter and extend their remarks in the
Record on this topic.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentlewoman from Oho?
There was no objection.
Ms. FUDGE. I appreciate the opportunity to anchor this Special Order
hour for the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC. Currently, the CBC is
chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional
District of California. My name is Representative Marcia L. Fudge, and
I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.
CBC members are advocates for human rights and equality, nationally
and internationally. Our members have played a significant role as
local and regional activists, and continue to work diligently to be the
conscience of the Congress.
As Members of Congress, CBC members also promote legislation to aid
neglected citizens throughout the world. We understand that the United
States, as a bellwether, has the ability to positively impact our
neighbors abroad. This is why tonight we turn our attention to the
grave situation in Haiti after last month's devastating earthquake.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my colleague and friend from the great
State of New York, Representative Clarke.
Ms. CLARKE. Mr. Speaker, let me also thank Congresswoman Fudge for
her outstanding work in managing the time of the Congressional Black
Caucus, the Special Orders, and for her expertise and talent that she
lends to all of the subject matter.
This particular Special Order on aid to Haiti is of great relevance
to me. As we all know, on January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake
rocked the Caribbean nation of Haiti, leaving most of the nation in
utter devastation. Critical infrastructure was destroyed, and the death
toll continues to rise as I speak, with reports estimating over 150,000
people perished.
As one of my local council members, Mr. Jumaane Williams, stated, or
phrased it, in Brooklyn, New York, we were victim to a 7.0 emotional
aftershock as members of our vibrant Haitian American community come to
grips with the utter death, destruction, and devastation faced in their
homeland. As a Brooklyn native whose roots are firmly planted in my
Caribbean heritage, this tragedy has hit home in more ways than I could
ever imagine. New York is home to the second largest population of
Haitian immigrants in the United States, most of whom reside in my
district.
I would like to take an opportunity to just recognize the
Congressional Black Caucus for the leadership that they've taken in
Congress in ensuring that we remain focused and committed to assist
Haiti and to tend to the injured, orphaned, hungry, and dispossessed as
Haiti continues with its recovery efforts.
I would like to thank Chairwoman Barbara Lee of the Congressional
Black Caucus for her longtime leadership and commitment to fighting on
behalf of Haiti. I also want to applaud her hard work in bringing the
resolution to the floor that we just passed expressing condolences to
and solidarity with the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the
devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010.
I'd also like to thank Chairman Charles Rangel and Majority Whip Jim
Clyburn for working quickly to get H.R. 4462 passed in the House. This
legislation would allow all individuals who choose to donate during
this time of crisis in Haiti to claim an itemized charitable deduction
on this year's--2009, excuse me--tax return.
As Haiti continues to recover, my heart goes out to my Haitian
sisters and brothers as they endure this tragedy. I also express my
deep sympathy and support for their families.
Through all of the devastation, all of the trauma, the 11th
Congressional District of New York, like the rest of this Nation and
the global community, has demonstrated a unity of purpose in mobilizing
goods, services, and volunteers to help their families and relations in
Haiti.
While I will continue to applaud the humanitarian efforts for Haiti,
it is important that we do not allow compassion fatigue to set in.
{time} 1745
We must continue to uphold our commitment to helping our neighbors in
the Caribbean. As a representative with the second-largest population
of first- and second-generation Haitian immigrants located in my
district, my office has been inundated and overwhelmed with calls from
concerned constituents worried about their loved ones and their
homeland. While my office has been vigorously working with the State
Department to meet the needs of our constituents, there are many
concerns that still need to be addressed.
For many Haitian Americans, a major issue is family reunification.
Most of their family members have lost everything, many are sick,
injured, and living on the streets; babies and the elderly are
vulnerable to disease; a majority of them are traumatized by their
experiences.
And since my constituents are blessed to live in the United States--
many of them have obtained their citizenship--they have the capacity to
take care of their family members, they have the wherewithal to
console, comfort, and nurse their families back to health and support
their material needs.
The only thing that impedes this reunification is that their family
members are not American citizens and-or legal permanent residents and
do not rank highly on the immigration priority list.
I would encourage the administration to address this issue and work
to reunite family members who are suffering from this devastation.
[[Page H533]]
And in response to this tragedy, on January 15, 2010, the Obama
administration--which is to be commended for its quick action and its
steadfast commitment--has granted temporary protected status to Haitian
nationals currently in the United States. Unfortunately, there are
those who try to take advantage and exploit those who seek to change
their status, and I am concerned that there are fraudulent entities
offering services and inflating the prices of the TPS application
process for Haitians seeking it.
It is important that we empower our residents affected by the
devastation with the information and resources they need to access this
status. That is why just last week I joined my colleagues in the New
York City congressional delegation, State delegation, and New York City
delegation in the opening of the Haitian Family Resource Center at the
Brooklyn armory. The center will be a one-stop resource center for
families who have been impacted by the earthquake. It will offer
Creole-speaking translation services, immigration assistance, and help
with completing immigration applications, child guardianship, and
custody services, legal assistance, and help in locating family
members, mental health services, coordination of volunteer efforts, and
daily accurate briefings on the status of relief efforts.
Know that I will continue to work closely with my colleagues, the
Obama administration, and Caribbean officials to help this Nation
recover from this natural disaster.
I want to thank you once again, my colleague, for sharing this time
where we can share information with the Nation about what is taking
place in Haiti and ask that they continue to hold this Nation, our
Caribbean neighbors, in their prayers
Ms. FUDGE. Thank you very much.
I just want to, as well, thank you for your passion on this issue and
for all of the work that you have done, as you say, representing one of
the largest Haitian-American groups in this country. So I would like to
say thank you for all of us members of the CBC.
Mr. Speaker, as members of the CBC, we extend our deepest sympathy
and our support to the people of Haiti. The nation, of course, recently
experienced the largest recorded earthquake in its history. On January
12, the quake devastated many parts of the country, including the
capital of Port-au-Prince. To put the earthquake in some kind of scale,
it had a magnitude of 7.0 and a series of strong aftershocks. There
have been at least 52 aftershocks at 4.5 magnitude or above. The damage
is severe and catastrophic.
The government of Haiti is reporting an estimated 112,000 deaths and
194,000 injured. The New York Times reports that 225,000 homes were
severely damaged or collapsed, and nearly one-third of the country's
population are currently at risk of long-term displacement and
vulnerability.
In total, it is estimated that 3 million people have been negatively
affected by the earthquake.
In the immediate wake of the earthquake, Haiti's President Rene
Garcia Preval described conditions in his country as unimaginable and
appealed for international assistance. Humanitarian assistance from the
United States and from all over the world has been generous.
The United States in the first two weeks following the earthquake
sent aid workers focused in three areas. First, these workers
immediately searched for survivors and provided rescue assistance.
Teams with heavy-lifting equipment, medical equipment, and triage
supplies were moved into the country. Volunteers next addressed
Haitians' critical needs for food, clean water, and sanitation, medical
assistance, and emergency shelter. And thirdly, they provided emergency
relief experts to set up infrastructure and logistics operations.
Numerous Americans have provided donations to fund these efforts.
Also, the Congressional Black Caucus joined President Obama in calling
for continued financial aid for Haiti's quake survivors. The sheer
scale of the relief effort in Haiti has brought together a tremendous
capacity and a willingness to help.
The massive humanitarian relief operation underway in Haiti has been
hampered by a number of significant challenges, including a general
lack of transportation, extremely limited communication systems, and
damaged infrastructure. The relief effort is expected to last for many,
many months and recovery and reconstruction will begin as soon as
possible.
President Barack Obama assembled heads of U.S. agencies to begin
working immediately on a coordinated response to this disaster. The
U.S. Agency For International Development, better known as USAID,
through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, is the lead agency
within the U.S. Government responding to this disaster.
On January 14, the administration announced $100 million in
humanitarian assistance to Haiti to meet the immediate needs on the
ground. The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted the
deportation of Haitians and granted temporary protective status for 18
months to Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January
12, 2010.
President Obama has pledged an aggressive coordinated effort by the
U.S. Government. The State Department, Department of Defense,
Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, and USAID have already
mobilized to ensure that critical resources are positioned to support
the response-and-recovery effort, including efforts to find and assist
American citizens in Haiti. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus
have proactively engaged to facilitate aid to Haiti.
Recently, I joined my colleagues in the House of Representatives to
unanimously pass H.R. 4462. The resolution would allow individuals who
made charitable contributions to those in Haiti to claim an
itemized charitable deduction on their 2009 tax return instead of
waiting until next year. The legislation also allows those who made
donations via text message to use phone bills as proof of donation.
I was proud to be an original cosponsor of this bipartisan
legislation. Representative Meek coordinated a letter to Speaker
Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner, Appropriations Chairman Obey, and
Appropriations Ranking Member Lewis requesting robust emergency funding
to assist Haiti.
Immediate U.S. assistance to Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic
earthquake is vital to support stability in that very fragile country.
Representative Maxine Waters is introducing a bill to require the
Treasury Department to cancel Haiti's debts. The government of Haiti
cannot afford to invest in humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and
development efforts while continuing to make payments on debts owed to
multilateral financial institutions like the International Monetary
Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Even before the earthquake, debt service payments to these
institutions were a tremendous burden that interfered with the ability
of the government of Haiti to meet the needs of its people.
The bill requires Secretary Geithner to support three specific
actions that should be a part of the international community's response
to this very, very terrible tragedy. The first is the complete
cancellation of all remaining debts owed by Haiti to multilateral
financial institutions; secondly, the suspension of Haiti's debt
service payments to these institutions until such time as the debts are
canceled; and thirdly, the provision of additional assistance to Haiti
in the form of grants so that the country does not accumulate
additional debts.
Representative Meek, in coordination with Chairman Skelton and
Representative Mack, have introduced a resolution to commemorate the
efforts of the United States Armed Forces, of local first responders,
and other members of Operation Unified Response for their swift and
coordinated action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. I am proud
to say I have supported each of these initiatives.
There has been an outpouring of international support for Haiti. The
first priority has been saving lives. That means getting water, food,
shelter, medicine, and other basic supplies to victims. Beyond the
essentials are issues of security and debt repayments, both of which
can undermine rebuilding efforts. The United Nation's Secretary General
Ban Ki-moon sought approval from the Security Council to send an
additional 3,500 security officers to Haiti. The officers are needed
both to maintain public order and to
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guard deliveries of food and aid. So far, violence has been scattered,
but fears of violence grow as the difficulties of living without water,
food, and shelter mount.
As World Bank President Robert Zolick has said, outside support
should be in the form of grants. Through grants, money can be
appropriated according to goals and capacity while easing Haiti's debt
burden. For example, Haiti owes about $38 million to the World Bank.
Mr. Zolick, however, announced that no debt repayments would be due for
the next 5 years, and the World Bank is seeking to cancel all of
Haiti's remaining debt owed to it.
Many relief organizations are accepting donations to send to
Haitians. Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to
help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian
organizations to purchase--often within the affected region itself--the
exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the
crisis.
You can find organizations and ways to help through the White House's
Web site, which is www.whitehouse.gov or visit the U.S. Agency for
International Development's Web site at www.usaid.gov, which has a list
of nongovernmental organizations and instructions on how to help.
Mr. Speaker, Haiti is the world's first black-led republic and the
first Caribbean state to achieve independence, in 1804. Haiti is still
plagued by violent confrontations between rival gangs and political
groups. Current President Rene Preval won the presidential election in
February 2006 with 51 percent of the vote.
Haiti's serious underlying social problem, the wealth gap between the
impoverished Creole-speaking majority and the French-speaking
minority--1 percent of whom own nearly half of the country's wealth--
remains unresolved.
Even prior to the earthquake, Haiti's infrastructure had all but
collapsed and drug trafficking has become a major problem.
{time} 1800
Today, Haiti is the poorest, least developed country in the Western
Hemisphere and prior to the earthquake was ranked 149 out of 182
countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.
We've all seen the pictures on the TV of the children of Haiti. It is
heartbreaking. We all recognize the urgent need for assistance to the
smallest of the earthquake's victims. The outpouring of sympathy has
led many to consider adopting a Haitian child. However, Mr. Speaker,
the U.S. State Department recently announced that new adoption
applications are not being processed. At this time, the main priority
is reuniting children with their families. The process of determining
whether a child is an orphan is a long and complicated one. The recent
adoptions that have been processed were Haitian children who had
previously been matched and cleared for entry into the United States.
Since last week, the U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, and its partners
have identified and registered some 200 unaccompanied children found in
orphanages and wandering in neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. Based on
the given information and photographs taken, workers will begin to
trace the families of these children, if they exist. A similar registry
was used after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and more recently in
cyclone-hit Myanmar.
For now, the best assistance that individuals can provide is to make
a financial contribution to a reputable relief or humanitarian
organization working in Haiti.
Days after the earthquake, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet
Napolitano announced the designation of Temporary Protective Status of
Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010.
This designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United
States to continue living and working in our community for the next 18
months. TPS will provide a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals who
are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be
endangered by returning to Haiti. Granting TPS to Haitians would
provide them with the ability to work legally and contribute to the
reconstruction of their country until it is safe for them to return.
Haiti has enormous potential, but rebuilding the country requires a
coordinated strategy. Here in the U.S., we can support the transition
from humanitarian assistance to reconstruction through cash-for-work
programs, so Haitians can be paid for clearing roadways and
reconstructing infrastructure. Haiti can also boost its private sector
by investing in and building the infrastructure for power grids, ports
and roads. Also important is revitalizing agriculture so that Haitians
can replace food aid programs with food harvested from their own farms.
To jump-start the Haitian economy, in 2008 Congress passed the Haiti
Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, better known as the
HOPE Act, which provides special rules for the duty-free treatment of
select apparel imports which is Haiti's dominant manufacturing sector.
With access to the United States market through this agreement, Haiti
can create jobs in its apparel and agricultural sectors.
Haiti's reconstruction must create jobs for Haitians, grow the
Haitian economy, instill confidence in the government, and be managed
transparently. This will require Haitians to unify, since foreign
assistance can only go so far. The Haitian people working with their
government must come together to rebuild a newer, stronger Haiti.
The difficulties faced by Haiti should not deter us from providing
assistance. Our leadership and moral strength is only enhanced when we
help others. Truly, we lift as we rise.
Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my good friend, distinguished colleague
and one who knows much about the Haiti situation, Mr. Donald Payne from
New Jersey.
Mr. PAYNE. Let me express my appreciation to the gentlelady from
Cleveland for calling this Special Order. She has been such a
tremendous resource to the Congressional Black Caucus. And as we know,
the Congressional Black Caucus has been very involved in Haiti for
many, many years. For the 22 years that I have been a Member of this
Congress, Haiti has always been number one on the agenda. And we went
through the years when there were dictatorships, and then the elections
and President Aristide being elected to office, and then his being
deposed and the military, General Cedras, Biamby and those folks took
over. And then President Clinton having the foresight to restore
President Aristide; 22,000 U.S. troops went to restore democracy
without us having even one casualty. And the current situation where
President Aristide left and the new government of Preval. So we have
been involved throughout the years.
Let me tell you that when we heard the news of the earthquake, 7.0 on
the Richter scale, only 6 miles deep, bringing it so close to the
surface it made the magnitude even greater, the aftershocks that
continued, we immediately said we must do something and do something
quickly and do something drastic. So since the earthquake, the
Congressional Black Caucus has mobilized to holding emergency meetings
regarding Haiti with USAID, the Department of State, nongovernmental
organizations, and other stakeholders in the region to get a sense of
the effort on the ground in order to take information back to our
constituents and organize the legislative efforts in Congress.
On Wednesday, January 13, the CBC international task force called an
emergency meeting with the CBC staff regarding the devastation in
Haiti. USAID Deputy Administrator John Brause briefed staff about the
U.S. response and the extent of the situation. Counselor Cheryl Mills,
chief of staff to Secretary of State Clinton, briefed CBC members on
January 13 and January 15. The Congressional Black Caucus held a Haiti
disaster assistance meeting with Members to discuss legislative efforts
and opportunities that we could then move right into effect.
Various members of the Congressional Black Caucus hosted conference
calls with their constituents to provide them with updates about relief
efforts that were being made in our respective districts. We had
tremendous interest in different parts and in our State of New Jersey,
New Jersey for Haiti was formed, www.nj4haiti.org. And that
organization, which I cochair with Senator Lesniak, said that we needed
to move quickly into action. And Stan
[[Page H535]]
Neron, who is a social service worker in the city of Elizabeth was able
to get the United Way of the Greater Union County to be partners in
arranging drives for supplies and listed organizations that could
receive contributions, Red Cross and other organizations, that were
already doing work throughout the land.
And so as I indicated, the CBC jumped into our meetings at the
conference calls. We had a Special Order following news on January 12.
Immediately, members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the
floor to discuss the earthquake in Haiti and relief efforts and what we
intended to do. And the following day, on the 14th of January,
Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed via a conference call
with David Meltzer, senior vice president for the international affairs
of the American Red Cross. On the 15th of January, Congressional Black
Caucus members were briefed through a conference call by the State
Department for updates. And so we just remained very active.
The week of January 18 to 22, the Congressional Black Caucus
leadership introduced and passed two bipartisan measures on Haiti in
Congress. Tuesday the 19th, Chairwoman Lee, on behalf of the caucus,
introduced legislation expressing condolences to and solidarity with
the people of Haiti. And in the aftermath of this devastating
earthquake, Chairman Charlie Rangel of the important Ways and Means
Committee introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 4462, that
would allow individuals making a charitable contribution after January
11 and before March 1 to victims of the earthquake in Haiti to claim
these charitable deductions on their 2009 tax returns. Absent this
change, taxpayers would need to wait until next year to claim a
deduction for these contributions on their 2010 tax forms. And so this
will speed up deductions eligible for 2009.
The bill also makes it clear that taxpayers making a charitable
contribution to victims of the Haiti earthquake through text messages
would be able to rely on the cell phone bill while claiming charitable
deductions, the first time any activity or action of this nature has
been done.
The CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the
next steps on Haiti on that day of January 19 and the committee that I
am privileged to chair. On Wednesday, January 20, the CBC members were
briefed by Ambassador Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's Ambassador to the
United States.
The legislation that we had, we are also in the process of
developing. What we have done in our meetings, we've taken a look to
see what we can do with the U.S. citizenship and immigration services
to discuss TPS and humanitarian parole and other important items. The
CBC looked at other issues. Representative Hank Johnson's office
drafted a letter to Secretary Clinton and Gates detailing details about
the use of security contractors as a part of ongoing relief.
Congresswoman Waters is working on Haiti debt cancellation of bills,
and Representative Meeks from New York is dealing with a Marshall Plan
on Haiti. I intend to ask the Earth Institute at Columbia University,
Dr. Sachs, to come to brief the Congressional Black Caucus about the
future of Haiti and planning: How should new Haiti be planned? How
should Port-au-Prince be redone? How should satellite cities be
created? Because we feel that this is an opportunity now to right many
of the wrongs that had happened in the past.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee will have a hearing on Haiti in
the next few weeks, and Congressman Meeks will be holding a hearing on
international financial institutions and how they can assist Haiti.
Congressman John Conyers has been in contact with the Air Force
liaison. He is going to participate when the time is right in CBC
members taking trips to Haiti to see firsthand what we should do. We've
been reluctant from going down en masse because we wanted to have our
agency people on the ground be free to do things that need to be done.
However, when the time is right, we will have a large delegation of
members of the CBC to go.
As you know on the 21st of January, the CBC held a press conference
to discuss the congressional response to the earthquake. Our CBC met
with TransAfrica, its director, Nicole Lee, and Melinda Miles working
together for Haiti, NGOs that have been on the ground for many years to
find out what is the position of the NGOs and how do they see the
situation and how can they better assist as we move forward. CBC
facilitated a call with NGO leaders working in Haiti with the
Department of State to discuss NGO's experiences and concerns as the
U.S. builds and executes recovery and relief and the rebuilding of
Haiti. And we found that very instructive for the NGOs and for the
Department of State.
On the 19th, the CBC international task force held a staff meeting to
discuss the priorities again as relates to it. Congressman Cummings,
the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime
Transportation, held a briefing regarding the United States Coast Guard
and its ongoing work in Haiti.
{time} 1815
We held a press conference at the Haitian Embassy. The CBC went and
met with the Haitian Government and we talked about various problems.
We wanted to take a look at the TPS guide. We looked at the CARACOM
memo. We discussed Haiti's debt relief numbers from Treasury. We have
dealt with the CBC constituency outreach guide. And these were all
things, as I indicated, that the Congressional Black Caucus has done.
As I wind down, I just want to once again remind Americans that Haiti
has been a tremendous part of the growth and the development of our
Nation. As I have mentioned on the floor before, it was back in the
late 1800s when the enslaved people of Haiti had a rebellion against
the Government of France, and Napoleon's army, after 12 years'
struggle, lost the war to Haiti; Haiti becoming the first country where
enslaved people overthrew the power, European power, and became a
republic, just the third republic ever in the world at that time.
So we have a tremendous amount of regard and respect for Haiti as
they defeated the French, therefore causing France to lose much of the
wealth that it gained from Haiti. Half of the sugar and coffee and
cocoa, other products in Europe, 50 percent of them came from Haiti
alone. Haiti produced more wealth to France than all of the 13 original
colonies gave to the U.S. Government.
And so Haiti, once it became independent from France, France became
cash poor. But it still had land in the Louisiana Territory and, as a
result of their defeat, were forced to sell the Louisiana Territory,
negotiated by Jefferson, to the United States. And that opened up the
West for the United States.
As a matter of fact, France had armies of 20,000 persons where the
U.S. Army was just about 5,000 strong. So the French had a more
powerful military here in the Western Hemisphere and would have been a
problem for the United States had not the treaty been made and France
being forced to sell the Louisiana Territory.
Many other Haitians are involved in our history. The Battle of
Savannah, where Haitians fought for our independence, valiantly losing
lives but helping to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War. We know
that Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as the Father of
Chicago, was a Haitian colonist in North America, mixed French and
Haitian ancestry, and he was the person that discovered Chicago and was
really called the Father of Chicago back in 1968. So there are so many
people of Haitian descent, and Haiti itself, that has a great deal to
do with our development.
Finally, let me just mention this last point, that when World War II
began, the U.S. started to become concerned about the dependence of
rubber from a territory that was going to be controlled by the
Japanese. By 1942, the Indonesians, the British-controlled rubber
plantations provided 99 percent of the commercial rubber for the world.
In the earliest stages of World War II, the United States realized the
disastrous consequence if rubber plantations fell to Japan. This would
cut off to the United States and its allies rubber supplies, an
absolutely critical commodity, as you know, not only for the economy,
but to keep a war effort moving forward.
The United States made some presentations in 1940 and 1941. We
started to
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increase our rubber stockpiles. However, botanists went to Haiti to
attempt to grow rubber trees in Haiti. The Haitian rubber project was
not supposed to be a part of the war effort, but it really was. It was
not something that was necessary if we were not concerned about rubber
being cut off from the United States. What happened, though, is that
much of the land was denuded. Natural habitat was destroyed. Ebony
trees and plants that were natural in Haiti were taken out, and the
attempt to grow rubber trees was started on large portions of land.
There were some Haitian botanists who said that it would not work;
however, the U.S. insisted on trying the experiment.
Today, one of the biggest problems in Haiti is erosion. It is because
of deforestation, because people are dependent on wood for homes and
heating. However, this dastardly situation started actually by the
United States for the war effort with the attempt to grow foreign seeds
that would not grow in that kind of topography. So, once again, as we
look at the tremendous erosion that is abundant in Haiti today, the
beginning of it happened to be at the time when the United States felt
that it needed to have the growth of rubber trees in our hemisphere in
a place that was close to the United States.
And so even, once again, as we look at how Haiti has impacted on the
United States, this consequence of a negative development on the part
of the U.S. Government I think once again is a reason that we should
have a strong passion for our sister country Haiti.
So we will continue in New Jersey to continue to move forward with
all of the many people that are involved. We look forward to having a
mass at the basilica near the end of the month of February. Our
Governor is going to provide an office that we can work with to try to
be sure that people who may be coming with TPS and other problems,
family unification, parole, adoption, that we will be able to service
these people who are crying out for help.
So with that, I see one of my colleagues here from the great State of
Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has really done a
tremendous amount of work in this area and sits on important committees
and certainly has a great deal to contribute.
At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Texas.
The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Lujan). Under the Speaker's announced
policy of January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee)
is recognized for the remainder of the hour as the designee of the
majority leader, approximately 16 minutes.
Ms. JACKSON LEE of Texas. Let me thank, first of all, the chairman of
the Africa Subcommittee and Global Health Committee of the Foreign
Affairs, Mr. Payne. There is no doubt of his recounting of the enormous
history that has been involved around Haiti, but also the track record
of the Congressional Black Caucus. So let me continue my remarks, and I
will yield myself such time as I may consume.
Mr. Speaker, I note on this Congressional Black Caucus hour that two
of our members have come to the floor: the chairwoman, the Honorable
Barbara Lee, and the member from California, chairwoman of the
Financial Services Committee and recent returnee from Haiti, Maxine
Waters.
So I will just recount, as the chairman just did, Chairman Payne, a
lot of the work that we have done here in the United States. But also,
in case many wonder why we are continuing this effort and why we have
made a commitment as members of the Congressional Black Caucus to never
give up and to never give out on Haiti and to view this as a long-term
recovery and restoration is because the damage is so devastating. This
reflects the early stages of the collapse of whole neighborhoods,
literally the collapse of Port-au-Prince, and the devastating disaster
that the people still face.
Today, as we are looking at recovery, there are Haitians lifting
stones by hand, one by one, to remove some of the debris that is
already there. Knowing that between 150,000 to 200,000 are known or
expected dead, we know that behind this rubble there are lost loved
ones who have yet to be accounted for. Some 4,000 Americans are
unaccounted for. U.N. workers are unaccounted for. And so when we talk
about this today or next week or maybe in March or in April, maybe in
June, you will understand the magnitude of devastation.
I know that many of us can recall briefly the earthquake around
northern California and San Francisco and Oakland. We remembered a
baseball game that was either in session or not, one of the more stark
earthquakes, and remember the response, the fear, the stopping of the
game, the damage. But this was a 7.0 on the Richter scale. And to see
all of the beauty of this island destroyed, all of the history. This is
one of the islands that has some of the greatest history that one could
imagine and people who are proud. This is where people live now. This
is where our children live. This is where babies are born, on the
streets of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere.
So we are not here for a reason that is made up. We are here because,
as we speak, these are the homes of people who are living in a
devastating condition. No, this was not a rich nation, but people
worked every day. They wanted to provide for their families. They were
not interested in handouts. They wanted to build their nation. Now,
today, unlike we have ever experienced, we can see the overwhelming
devastation here in Haiti. And, again, the tragedy is, who is still not
found?
So I rise today to comment on the question: Why is America responding
and why is the Congressional Black Caucus a conscience of that
response?
Today, we were able to hear from the newly appointed USAID
administrator as invited by the chairwoman, Barbara Lee, and attended
by forty-plus members of the Congressional Black Caucus, tightly
fitting in a room, listening intently to how we can move this tragedy
forward and helping the people.
America is responding. We will continue to respond with immediate
humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island to
rebuild their livelihood. There is still no estimate of death or
destruction, but the damage to buildings is extensive, and the number
of injured or dead is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. We
can already see that this is a continuing example.
We look forward to Haitians helping themselves. The United States
Government has already contributed $402 million in earthquake response
funding for Haiti and has already deployed approximately 17,000 in
military personnel, somewhat like the military personnel that was in
Hurricane Katrina.
This is not an effort to remove the sovereignty of Haiti, and we are
working very closely with President Preval, and we understand the
sovereignty of this nation-state and we respect its leadership. And so
we are moving quickly toward a Government of Haiti-led effort. The U.N.
World Food Program will provide commodities, nongovernmental
organizations will manage distributions, and U.S. military will provide
security escorts, but it will be led by the Haitian Government.
America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive
interagency response to the earthquake, and we believe it is important,
as we mentioned today, that there be one general of all of these
agencies: the State Department, Department of Defense, the Department
of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and, of course, USAID. There has
to be a way of organizing this effort.
I am very pleased to make note of the fact that in the meeting I made
a request to the USAID administrator to respond to all of the churches
that have been calling Members of Congress and calling the State
Department, all of the faith community, churches, parishes, mosques,
and others, and synagogues and other houses of faith who want to help.
The USAID administrator indicated that they would appoint a faith
liaison to be able to work with all of the religious bodies in order
for them to do the right thing.
Right as we stand here today, there are a group of religious persons
who are now held by the Haitian Government. To our knowledge, they are
still there. Their representation was that they wanted to help the
children. I don't disregard that fact. I am sure that there were good
intentions. But we know, in the protection of these children, we must
have order. We must have a regulation, regular order, if you
[[Page H537]]
will. There must be a process of giving relief and helping these
children who are now orphaned. And the Haitian people love their
children.
So I am looking for ways of temporarily deploying children for
medical help. There must be an airlift for the second stage of
surgeries that these children with broken arms and legs and bodily
injury and gangrene have the ability to come for temporary care.
{time} 1830
But we cannot have an irregular process of people going forward to
try to secure these children. We want to help these religious leaders,
who we believe had wonderful and good intentions. There are those in my
community who have reached out to me to try and help them. But as we
help them, we have to make sure that there is a precise way of dealing
with the children.
Within days of last week's devastation, the Southern Command deployed
a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts. There are
many from around the world that are helping, and there are many who are
working individually.
So I would make the point that we want to continue working with our
faith community. When you hear us, there is a reason. They are in need
for more resources. There is clearly a need of a long-term recovery and
building Haiti against this kind of devastation. And yes, I will
continue to work to secure and protect the children of Haiti.
I close by yielding to the gentlelady by saying this. Allow me to
thank the diaspora, all of the Haitian Americans all over the Nation.
Let me particularly thank, with a heavy, heavy emphasis on their
dedication, the Haitian American community in Houston, Texas, and all
of the help that they have done. We look forward to them being able to
go home to check on their relatives and to be of help. And let me thank
the medical doctors of the Texas Medical Center, and two airplanes,
doctors and nurses that I was able to secure to come down to Haiti and
help within 48 hours of the earthquake. Let me make note of the Houston
Rotarians as well, who are there to be of help. We will not give up on
the people of Haiti and the nation of Haiti.
I rise today in order to highlight America's humanitarian response to
the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th--just over 3 weeks
ago. I want to commend each agency involved in the humanitarian
response.
As you know, on Tuesday, January 12th, a massive, 7.0 magnitude
earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. There is
still no official estimate of death or destruction, but the damage to
buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated
to be in the hundreds of thousands.
America is responding, and will continue to respond with immediate
humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island
nation rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people
and government of Haiti as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a
natural disaster. As Haiti's neighbor, I believe it is the United
States responsibility to help Haiti recover, and build the capacity to
mitigate against future disasters.
To date, the United States Government has contributed nearly $402
million in earthquake response funding for Haiti. It has also deployed
approximately 17,000 military personnel in support of the relief
effort. Subsequently, as part of the new Government of Haiti-lead
effort, the U.N. World Food Program will provide commodities,
nongovernmental organizations will manage distributions, and U.S.
Military will provide security escorts.
America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive,
interagency response to the earthquake. The State Department,
Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard,
USAID--all worked overnight to ensure critical resources were
positioned to support the response and recovery effort, including
efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti.
Within days of the devastating earthquake, U.S. Southern Command
deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts in
the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in the western
hemisphere. The team included U.S. military engineers, operational
planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists
arriving on two C-130 Hercules aircraft. Since, there has been a
tremendous interagency response with support and partnering with U.S.
Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and international
officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S.
military support.
Our friends in the international community must also be commended for
their efforts. The United Nations is releasing $10 million from its
emergency funds. The European Commission has approved C3 million ($4.37
million) with more funds likely. Countless other nations from Germany,
to China, to Israel to Mexico to have also pledged support. I commend
each of these nations for coming to our neighboring nation in dire need
of assistance.
Many of my constituents have asked what they can do to help, or how
they can find their loved ones. Those who are interested in helping
immediately can text ``HAITI'' to ``90999'' and a donation of $10 will
be made automatically to the Red Cross for relief efforts. The donation
will be charged to your cell phone bill.
The outpouring of support and funding from the American people was
both instant and sustained. According to the Washington Post, the text
messaging effort raised $5 million in its first day, breaking the
previous one-day record of about $450,000. Text-message donations
continue to play a larger-than-expected role in the push for earthquake
relief in Haiti. As of late Sunday, the American Red Cross said that it
had collected pledges of about $103 million, including $22 million
through the text donation program. Each donor should be proud of their
contribution to help their brothers and sisters in Haiti.
Financially, 2009 was not an easy year for many Americans. Although
thousands of jobs were created and we are back on the road to economic
recovery, Americans lived on tighter budgets than usual. On January
20th, Congress passed H.R. 4462 which accelerated the income tax
benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of
the earthquake in Haiti. This legislation will allow those Americans
who have generously donated money to Haiti to receive their tax break
this year instead of next year.
In January of 2005, Congress enacted this type of relief for
individuals that made charitable contributions to victims of the Indian
Ocean tsunami that occurred in late December of 2004. That bill (H.R.
241 in the 109th Congress) passed the House of Representatives without
objection and subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I
hope that this legislation, like our response to the 2004 tsunami, will
encourage Americans to contribute more money to Haiti. As Haiti starts
on its long recovery, every dollar is critically important. Americans
have responded in great numbers, and I am proud to represent such a
compassionate and generous nation.
Americans are not only giving their money, they are also giving their
time and expertise as well. Immediately after the earthquake, I
arranged for a team of seven doctors, six nurses, two techs, and two
search and rescue volunteers to fly to Haiti and provide immediate
humanitarian support. This team led by Dr. Richard Toussaint from
Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas, Texas arrived in Haiti just after
noon on Saturday. From there, the doctors made their way to Hospital
SacreCouer where, in roughly two days, they performed about 70
amputations, surgically treated about 150 patients, and saw about 600
patients total. I commend this team of medical personnel for their
selfless actions and willingness to spend their own time and money to
come to the aid of people they had never met.
Additionally, I hosted a Houston-based Haiti relief effort called
``Texans helping Haitians'' with city leadership and the Haitian
community in the aftermath of this horrible disaster. Groups included
in the effort to provide supplies and medical assistance to Haiti were:
Texas Medical Center, Texas Dental Association, Search and Rescue
Organizations, the Haitian Multicultural Association, Haitian Caribbean
Organization of Texas, Caribbean Impact Foundation, and Haiti Counts.
I also helped coordinate the safe return of six Houston Rotarians
that were stranded in the mountains and we are now working with Office
of Foreign Disaster Assistance on the transport of orphans to awaiting
families here in the U.S.
Recently, I proposed a plan that would increase the ability of the
U.S. to assist Haiti in its efforts toward reconstruction and
stabilization to Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency
for International Development.
This plan would create an oversight position within the USAID that
would coordinate and regulate faith-based and non-profit organizations
operating in the reconstruction efforts in Haiti. I also recommended
the creation of a U.S. civilian corps, an extension of the American
Peace Corps, that would be tasked the specific mission of assisting
reconstruction efforts in Haiti. This civilian entity would serve as a
supplemental contingent which could be incrementally dispatched as
needed by U.S. Government agencies or nongovernment organizations.
Once again I stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and will do
everything in my power to assist them with rebuilding their country and
livelihoods.
I will be happy to yield to the gentlelady from California to manage
the rest of the time.
[[Page H538]]
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of
January 6, 2009, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is
recognized for the remainder of the hour, approximately 10 minutes, as
the designee of the majority leader.
Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much.
Let me thank the gentlelady for yielding and for that very powerful
presentation, and for your leadership and commitment to especially the
children of Haiti.
Good evening. It has been just over three weeks since a devastating
earthquake rocked the nation of Haiti, devastating its capital city
Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area. The damage seems unfathomable,
yet it is real. The loss of life is staggering and the destruction of
homes and infrastructure is tremendous.
As Chair of the 42-member Congressional Black Caucus, I want to
reiterate that our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the people
of Haiti during this difficult time.
Since the earthquake of January 12 many members of the Congressional
Black Caucus have stood on the floor of this House to talk about and
bring attention to the needs of the people of Haiti and the Haitian
American community. We will continue to speak out and speak up on their
behalf because the needs are urgent and they are real.
The Congressional Black Caucus has a long history of working with
Haiti, and many of us have traveled to the country multiple times.
Beyond our personal involvement with Haiti, the United States and Haiti
share a long and historical relationship that began with the trans-
Atlantic slave trade, which placed millions of people of African
descent in human bondage throughout the Western Hemisphere.
Our brothers and sisters who found themselves in Haiti led the way to
freedom and independence for the African Diaspora in the Caribbean and
the Americas when they established the world's first ``Black-led
Republic,'' established by former slaves. It was also one of the first
nations in the world to break the bonds of colonialism, providing
inspiration to millions of oppressed peoples around the globe.
Haitians fought for their independence--and literally paid for their
freedom by paying substantial tributes to their former colonizers,
creating a financial hardship that has endured for generations and
directly contributes to Haiti's underdevelopment today. The world has a
historic and moral obligation to help the people of Haiti in their time
of need.
During the current crisis, the CBC has worked closely with the Obama
administration and nongovernmental organizations to provide whatever
assistance we can to the humanitarian relief efforts underway. Just
today, we met with USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah to voice our concerns
and offer our continued partnership as the administration continues its
ongoing emergency relief and begins to formulate a longer-term agenda
for reconstruction.
And a week ago, members of the CBC met with Raymond Joseph,
Ambassador of Haiti to the United States. During this meeting we
communicated two overarching messages.
First, we reaffirmed our continued, ongoing commitment and solidarity
with the Haitian people.
Second, we emphasized that the CBC would like to coordinate our work
with that of President Obama's administration, the Government of Haiti,
and the Haitian people to develop an overarching relief,
reconstruction, and development agenda.
Given the CBC's long history with Haiti, our members have many ideas
and initiatives--legislative or otherwise--that we believe can assist
the government and the people of Haiti in relief and recovery and
reconstruction efforts.
These include efforts to promote debt relief and to coordinate aid
distribution on the ground.
But most importantly, we must establish a comprehensive assistance
framework in partnership with the Government of Haiti and in
coordination with other donors to promote the long-term development of
Haiti. In short, we need a Marshall Plan for Haiti, with Haitian
nongovernmental organizations and the Haitian Diaspora playing a vital
role in its formulation and implementation.
To offer just one example, last year I introduced H.R. 417, the Next
Steps for Haiti Act. This legislation would create a professional
exchange program to assign U.S. professionals, particularly in the
Haitian Diaspora, to provide technical assistance to Haiti in critical
development-related fields--such as healthcare, infrastructure, and
disaster preparedness.
Initiatives such as these could go a long way towards empowering the
Haitian people to rebuild and work towards the betterment of their
country.
Moving forward, we are committed to working with the Haitian
government and organizations on the ground--who know their country oh
so well--to meet their short-, medium-, and long-term needs of their
country. Once the cameras are gone, and Haiti is off the front pages
and the 24-hour news cycle, we will continue to be there. We, the CBC,
are in it for the long haul.
I would like to yield now to the gentlelady from California (Ms.
Waters), a Member of Congress who is not only a legislator, but also a
great humanitarian. We saw her very recently in Haiti, as she went to
Katrina to help those during the search and rescue phase, and is back
now to join us tonight on the floor to talk about not only her recent
experiences, but her long-standing commitment to Haiti and her work on
Haiti. Thank you very much.
Ms. WATERS. I would like to thank the chairlady of the Congressional
Black Caucus, Barbara Lee, for the leadership that she has provided on
this issue since this disaster. But of course Barbara Lee has been
involved in assistance to Haiti public policy-wise and with the other
kinds of disasters that have confronted Haiti over a long period of
time. And so I join with her in all of the efforts to do what we can to
assist the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti.
I have spent a good part of my career trying to be of assistance
public policy-wise and again when these disasters have struck Haiti.
And so when the earthquake took place, we were all stunned, and we all
immediately began to make inquiries of the USAID and the U.N. and the
Red Cross, and all of those agencies responsible for disaster relief.
And all of those inquiries and briefings having been going on every
day, headed by Congresswoman Barbara Lee.
I decided at one point I had to go to Haiti. I just had to be there
to talk with some of the people that I have worked with over the past,
to talk with President Preval, and to see what we could do additionally
to be of assistance to our agencies.
I want to just tell you that USAID is working very, very hard. The
U.N., working very, very hard. And I want you to know that USAID
employees were sleeping on cots inside the embassy. Many of their homes
were destroyed. Still, there were six missing persons when I was there
from USAID and the State Department. In addition to that, the U.N. lost
40 people, but yet they got up every day with this disaster, doing the
best that they could. Are there problems? There certainly are, problems
with logistics and coordination, all of that.
You have seen the images on television. You know how terrible this
destruction was. The number of people, the thousands of people, up to
estimates of 250,000 who have lost their lives. Well, it is worse than
you even see on television. The destruction is massive. Looking at the
buildings, they are just pancaked, the buildings that are in rumbles,
the stone and debris that is in the street. It is absolutely
heartbreaking and painful to experience.
However, we are doing everything that we can possibly do to give
support. I have concentrated on debt relief for Haiti. Yesterday I
introduced legislation to require the Secretary of the Treasury to use
the voice, vote, and influence of the United States within the
multilateral financial institutions to cancel all of Haiti's remaining
debt. The bill has 30 cosponsors, including Chairwoman Barbara Lee,
Donald Payne, and others.
I sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, urging him to
support debt cancellation for Haiti. My letter was signed by 94 Members
of Congress, including Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Financial Services
Committee Chairman Barney Frank, and Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking
Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. Canceling Haiti's debt will free up the
country's meager resources, allowing it to begin meeting its immediate
and long-term needs.
Debt cancellation is critical for Haiti's future, and it is an
important component of the overall aid we can provide. There is not
enough time this evening to go through all that we need to share about
debt relief, but this is a beginning.
Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much. I want to thank the
gentlelady from California again for her leadership, and also for once
again leading
[[Page H539]]
the effort on debt relief. Because Haiti certainly should not have to
repay any loans given the devastation that it has faced not only during
this recent disaster, but in the past.
Congressman Ed Towns, chair of the Government Reform Committee from
the great State of New York, with a large Haitian American population,
large Caribbean American population, also a minister, who has been a
strong voice on behalf of the Haitian people throughout his life.
Congressman Ed Towns.
Mr. TOWNS. I would like to thank the gentlewoman from California, the
chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, for her leadership.
Of course I know that the time is running out, but I really wanted to
take at least a minute to thank some people that I know have worked
real hard to do whatever they could do to relieve in terms of every way
to create an atmosphere and climate to get people involved in helping
the people of Haiti. Gregory Jackson, who heads the Brownsville
Recreation Center in Brooklyn, New York, has been very involved in
terms of collecting all kinds of items. Vivian Bright, who heads the
women's caucus, she has been collecting things to send to Haiti. And of
course I want to salute them.
And then I want to thank Dealmed. Dealmed has put together all kinds
of medical supplies. And of course I want to thank Warren Cohn for
taking them down. And of course I want to thank the Bedford-Stuyvesant
ambulance service, who went to Haiti right away and were able to save
lives. And of course not only that, they were able to deliver babies
and all of that. So I just want to thank them for their work, and to
encourage them to continue.
Let me just say that there are 125,000 people from Haiti that live in
New York. And we are not going to forget Haiti. We are going to make
certain, the Congressional Black Caucus has indicated over and over,
that we are going to be there.
Ms. LEE of California. Thank you very much. And let me again thank
you for your leadership, Congressman Towns.
I want to just close this evening by first saying that as chair of
the 42-member Congressional Black Caucus, I want to reiterate tonight
that our thoughts and our prayers continue to be with the people of
Haiti during this very difficult period. We know the Haitian people are
resilient people and that they will move forward in rebuilding their
country.
But we want to make sure that the people of Haiti understand that the
Congressional Black Caucus stands with the people of Haiti as they move
forward during this next phase of recovery and reconstruction. And we
will be doing everything in our power to make sure that once,
unfortunately, Haiti does not make the front page of the news, or the
24-hour news cycle ends with Haiti as the lead story, we will continue
to be there. This Congress will continue to be there working as we move
forward to develop a Haiti Marshall Plan. Thank you again.
I yield back the balance of my time.
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