[House Hearing, 117 Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]


                 THE BIDEN ADMINSTRATION'S EFFORTS TO 
                DEEPEN U.S. ENGAGEMENT IN THE CARIBBEAN

=======================================================================

                                HEARING

                               BEFORE THE

                            SUBCOMMITTEE ON
                 WESTERN HEMISPHERE, CIVILIAN SECURITY,
              MIGRATION AND INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC POLICY

                                 OF THE

                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS
                        HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                    ONE HUNDRED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS

                             FIRST SESSION

                               __________

                             June 23, 2021

                               __________

                           Serial No. 117-52

                               __________

        Printed for the use of the Committee on Foreign Affairs
        
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                    U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE                    
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                      COMMITTEE ON FOREIGN AFFAIRS

                  GREGORY W. MEEKS, New York, Chairman
BRAD SHERMAN, California              MICHAEL T. McCAUL, Texas, Ranking 
ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey                  Member
GERALD E. CONNOLLY, Virginia	      CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH, New Jersey
THEODORE E. DEUTCH, Florida	      STEVE CHABOT, Ohio
KAREN BASS, California		      SCOTT PERRY, Pennsylvania
WILLIAM KEATING, Massachusetts	      DARRELL ISSA, California
DAVID CICILLINE, Rhode Island	      ADAM KINZINGER, Illinois
AMI BERA, California		      LEE ZELDIN, New York
JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas	              ANN WAGNER, Missouri
DINA TITUS, Nevada		      BRIAN MAST, Florida
TED LIEU, California		      BRIAN FITZPATRICK, Pennsylvania
SUSAN WILD, Pennsylvania	      KEN BUCK, Colorado
DEAN PHILLIPS, Minnesota	      TIM BURCHETT, Tennessee
ILHAN OMAR, Minnesota		      MARK GREEN, Tennessee
COLIN ALLRED, Texas		      ANDY BARR, Kentucky
ANDY LEVIN, Michigan		      GREG STEUBE, Florida
ABIGAIL SPANBERGER, Virginia	      DAN MEUSER, Pennsylvania
CHRISSY HOULAHAN, Pennsylvania	      AUGUST PFLUGER, Texas
TOM MALINOWSKI, New Jersey	      PETER MEIJER, Michigan
ANDY KIM, New Jersey	              NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS, New York
SARA JACOBS, California		      RONNY JACKSON, Texas
KATHY MANNING, North Carolina	      YOUNG KIM, California
JIM COSTA, California		      MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida
JUAN VARGAS, California		      JOE WILSON, South Carolina
VICENTE GONZALEZ, Texas		      
BRAD SCHNEIDER, Illinois              
                                   

                      Sophia Lafargue, Staff Director
               Brendan Shields, Republican Staff Director

                                 ------                                

 Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Civilian Security, Migration and 
                     International Economic Policy

                   ALBIO SIRES, New Jersey, Chairman

JOAQUIN CASTRO, Texas                MARK GREEN, Tennessee, Ranking 
ANDY LEVIN, Michigan                     Member
VICENTE GONZALEZ, Texas		     AUGUST PFLUGER, Texas     
JUAN VARGAS, California		     MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR, Florida
                  Alexander Brockwehl, Staff Director
                           
                           
                           C O N T E N T S

                              ----------                              
                                                                   Page

                               WITNESSES

Lochman, Laura, Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of 
  Western Hemisphere Affairs, U.S. Department of State...........     7
Feinstein, Barbara, Acting Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, 
  U.S. Agency for International Development, Bureau of Latin 
  America and the Caribbean......................................    12
Fulton, Heide, Deputy Assistant Secretary, U.S. Department of 
  State, Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement 
  Affairs........................................................    21

                                APPENDIX

Hearing Notice...................................................    41
Hearing Minutes..................................................    42
Hearing Attendance...............................................    43

                   STATEMENT SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

Statement submitted for the record from Chairman Sires...........    44

            RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD

Responses to questions submitted for the record..................    47

 
  THE BIDEN ADMINSTRATION'S EFFORTS TO DEEPEN U.S. ENGAGEMENT IN THE 
                               CARIBBEAN

                        Wednesday, June 23, 2021

                          House of Representatives,
            Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere,
   Civilian Security, Migration, and International 
                                   Economic Policy,
                      Committee on Foreign Affairs,
                                                    Washington, DC.

    The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 3 p.m., in 
room 2172, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Albio Sires 
(chairman of the subcommittee) presiding.
    Mr. Sires. Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you to our 
witnesses for being here today. This hearing, entitled ``The 
Biden Adminstration's Efforts to Deepen U.S. Engagement in the 
Caribbean,'' will come to order.
    Without objection, the chair is authorized to declare a 
recess of the committee at any point. And all members will have 
5 days to submit statements, extraneous materials, and 
questions for the record subject to the limitation in the 
rules. To insert something into the record, please have your 
staff email the previously mentioned address, or contact the 
subcommittee staff.
    As a reminder to members joining remotely, please keep your 
video function on at all times, even when you are not 
recognized by the chair. Members are responsible for muting and 
unmuting themselves. And please remember to mute yourself after 
you finish speaking.
    Consistent with H.R. 8 and the accompanying regulations, 
staff will only mute members and witnesses as appropriate, when 
they are not under recognition to eliminate background noise. I 
see that we have a quorum, and I now recognize myself for 
opening remarks.
    I am glad we are holding this hearing to talk about the 
region that is too often overlooked. The countries of the 
Caribbean are among our closest neighbors. Yet we frequently 
fail to pay enough attention to this region. As chairman of the 
Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I am committed to ensuring 
that we focus more on the Caribbean going forward. I also want 
to commend my friend, Greg Meeks, the chairman of the Foreign 
Affairs Committee who has been very clear since the start of 
this Congress that the Caribbean should be a top priority for 
the United States. I know Chairman Meeks agrees with me that 
the best way for us to show we are ready to elevate the 
Caribbean in our foreign policy is by sending vaccines to the 
region as quickly as possible. I applaud the Biden 
Adminstration for its announcement that it will donate 80 
million vaccines globally by the end of June. However, today, I 
am urging the Adminstration to quickly step up our efforts in 
the Caribbean.
    Many countries in the region are relying on Chinese 
vaccines because we aren't providing any alternative. Other 
countries like Haiti have yet to distribute a single vaccine 
dose while the pandemic claims more lives each day. Given the 
direct travel routes between the Caribbean countries and the 
U.S., and the close ties between our diaspora communities in 
our countries and throughout the Caribbean, it is vital to U.S. 
national security that we help Caribbean overcome this 
pandemic. We should be proud of the fact that the vaccines for 
those in the United States are the most effective in the world.
    While I understand that the Biden Adminstration wants to 
strengthen COVAX, I believe that we should be sending vaccines 
directly to countries in need. We should get the credit for the 
vaccines we donate.
    Beyond vaccines, we need to work with our Caribbean friends 
on the long road to recovery in the wake of the pandemic. Many 
of these countries depend heavily on tourism, an industry that 
has been crushed by the pandemic which is likely to rebound 
slowly.
    In the Dominican Republic, we have a government that is 
eager to deepen engagement with the United States. But so far, 
they have had to rely on vaccines from China. We should step up 
and send vaccines to our partners in need. We should also help 
support their fight against corruption and deepen our security 
cooperation under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative.
    In Guyana, where I traveled last year, we should work to 
ensure the profits of oil revenues benefit the entire 
population. As I said during the trip, we want to engage all 
actors in Guyana, including businesses, civil society, the 
current government, and the opposition to advance inclusive 
economic growth.
    The severe flooding that Guyana has faced in recent months 
is a reminder that climate change is having devastating impacts 
on our friends in the Caribbean. We need to step up our efforts 
to support climate resilience and energy security in the 
region.
    In Haiti, I am deeply concerned about the gang violence 
that has spiraled out of control under a government that is no 
longer able to carry out its most basic functions. In just 2 
weeks, over 8,000 women and children have been forced from 
their homes in Port-au-Prince due to this violence according to 
the United Nations. I am glad that Secretary Blinken spoke out 
against a constitutional referendum there. We must do more to 
help the Haitian people overcome the economic and political 
security crisis they are facing.
    I look forward to hearing from our witnesses about how we 
can deepen our economic and security cooperation with partners 
in the region and harness the Development Finance Corporation 
to counter China's influence in the region and help advance a 
rapid economic recovery.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has created tremendous challenges for 
the Caribbean, but it also provides an opportunity for us to 
demonstrate our commitment to this region. I truly help hope 
that we will sieze this opportunity. Thank you, and I will now 
turn to the ranking member, Mr. Green, for his opening 
statement.
    Mr. Green. Thank you, Chairman Sires. I really appreciate 
you holding this committee. And I want to thank our witnesses 
for being here today. Thank you. Thanks for your service to the 
country.
    I am glad we are hosting this hearing and convening this 
discussion. For too long, the United States Caribbean policy 
has lacked a strategic focus. The region is a key gateway to 
the United States, it is an important economic partner and for 
trade and tourism, it is a vital component of U.S. national 
security, and it holds the largest block of Taiwan's diplomatic 
allies. I hope the full committee will hope to prioritize the 
Caribbean basin moving forward.
    In 2021, the region's future is bright, but not without 
significant challenges impacting both the United States and the 
greater Latin American community. The Caribbean struggles with 
persistent violence, transnational criminal networks, drug 
trafficking. In 2019, roughly 24 percent of the cocaine 
departing South America transited through the Caribbean Sea, 
including both maritime vessels and illicit aircraft. That is 
why the United States launched the Caribbean Basin Security 
Initiative, or CBSI, a regional security initiative to reduce 
drug trafficking and promote safety and security. I am proud to 
co-lead the reauthorization of the CBSI this Congress with 
Congressman Espaillat--we must double-down our efforts against 
drug trafficking that wreaks havoc in our region and a 
corruption that allows them to survive. Our bill helps do just 
that by providing the resources necessary to improve security 
cooperation and combat the criminal organizations that 
victimize their own countries as well as our own.
    The COVID-19 pandemic has disseminated key resources, 
economic growth, trade, travel, tourism. According to the World 
Travel Tourism Council, the Caribbean was the world's most 
tourism-reliant region before the pandemic. But in 2020, these 
sectors took the largest hit, of course, experiencing a 58 
percent decrease when compared to 2019.
    As countries continue to get vaccinated, we must prioritize 
resuming the longstanding U.S.-Caribbean travel and tourism 
industries. And while the 2020 hurricane season wasn't that 
significant, 2021 remains an unknown. And the National Oceanic 
and Atmospheric Adminstration has predicted that there may be 
as many as 10 hurricanes this season. An average season sees 
seven.
    I look forward to hearing from USAID on how you guys are 
working with regional partners on disaster preparedness and 
response management. 2020 also proved to be a pivotal year for 
the Caribbean's energy resources with Guyana's oil sector 
growing and potentially providing an alternate to Venezuela's. 
The oil and gas sector is critical to their country and could 
transform it from one of the Caribbean's poorest countries to 
its wealthiest.
    The Chinese Communist Party has vastly increase its 
influence in the Caribbean over the past 20 years with 13 
Caribbean countries having signed on to China's Belt and Road 
Initiative. The CCP has expanded its network of loaned-back 
infrastructure projects to resume in telecom investment and 
relationship with regional defense counterparts. China's 
disregard for the environment is a huge threat to the Caribbean 
tourism industry. That is why I am drafting a bill to move 
supply chains away from Communist China and into the Western 
Hemisphere. Our dependence on China is a threat to our national 
security, and the Western Hemisphere must become more 
economically independent if we are to safeguard our future.
    The Caribbean is a region of strategic importance and 
numerous challenges. I am hopeful that today's hearing can shed 
some light on the region as we work to prioritize our Caribbean 
partners. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    Mr. Sires. Thank you very much, Ranking Member Green. I 
will now introduce Ms. Laura Lochman. She is the Acting Deputy 
Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere 
Affairs. Ms. Lochman is a career member of the Senior Foreign 
Service with over 30 years' experience in policy analysis and 
implementation. Most recently, she was the director of the 
Office of Canadian Affairs. She has served in overseas 
assignment in Colombia, Venezuela, and Brazil, and in 
Washington, and the Office of Cuban Affairs--wow--and the 
Bureau of South Asian Affairs. She holds a bachelor of arts 
from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.
    Ms. Lochman, we welcome you to our hearing. You have to 
tell me about this Cuban thing you have here.
    We will then hear from Ms. Barbara Feinstein. She serves as 
the Acting Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator with the USAID 
Bureau of Latin America and the Caribbean. Ms. Feinstein 
overseas the agency's development priorities in Central 
America, Mexico, and the Caribbean. Before joining the LAC 
Bureau, she was the Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator for 
Legislative Affairs in USAID Bureau for Legislative and Public 
Affairs. She holds a master's degree in international and 
political affairs from Princeton University and a bachelor of 
arts from the University of California Berkeley.
    Ms. Feinstein, thank you for joining us today.
    Finally, we will hear from Ms. Heide Fulton. She is 
currently the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western 
Hemisphere Programs in the Bureau of International Narcotics 
and Law Enforcement. Ms. Fulton most recently served as the 
director of the Office of the Mexican Affairs. Before that, she 
led the U.S. Embassy in Honduras and as Deputy Chief of Mission 
and then as Chief of Mission from 2016 to 2019. She also served 
as a Director of Counternarcotics at the Kabul Embassy in 
Afghanistan and as a counselor for public affairs in Quito, 
Ecuador. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, she served in 
Active Duty in Iraq. She retired from the U.S. Army Reserve in 
June 2020 after 28 years of service. She is a graduate from 
Boston College and earned her master's from Troy State 
University.
    Ms. Fulton, thank you for your service and for joining us 
today.
    I ask the witnesses to limit your testimony for 5 minutes.
    Without objection, your prepared written statements would 
be made part of the record.
    Ms. Lochman, you are recognized for your testimony.

STATEMENT OF LAURA LOCHMAN, ACTING DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, 
 BUREAU OF WESTERN HEMISPHERE AFFAIRS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE

    Ms. Lochman. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
    Chairman Sires, Ranking Member Green, and members of the 
subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to testify before you 
today on this important issue. For decades, the United States 
has partnered with the Caribbean people to promote stronger and 
more vibrant communities. Today, the Caribbean region is 
experiencing a sharp economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 
pandemic. This has devastated government revenues and caused 
rising unemployment, which could bring more crime, irregular 
migration, and malign activity by State and non-State actors 
unless we continue our support.
    Through the U.S.-Caribbean 2020 strategy, we have sought to 
increase and deepen U.S. engagement with Caribbean nations. We 
are now building on that strategy to guide interagency 
activities into the future. On April 21, Secretary Blinken met 
with CARICOM foreign ministers to highlight our commitment to 
working with all countries in the region to advance bilateral 
and regional interests. We also actively engaged Caribbean 
nations multilaterally to confront some of the region's most 
pressing challenges, including the growing threat to democracy 
and human rights in Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Haiti.
    In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, on June 3, the 
Adminstration announced plans that the global distribution of 
25 million U.S. vaccine doses, of which approximately 6 million 
doses are designated for Latin America and the Caribbean. On 
June 21, the Adminstration announced its plan for the remaining 
55 million of the 80 million doses President Biden pledged to 
allocate by the end of June, including an additional 14 million 
doses for Latin America and the Caribbean to be shared through 
COVAX. Moreover, the United States is purchasing an additional 
500 million doses of Pfizer vaccines and donating them to 92 
low and lower middle income countries as defined by Gavi's 
COVAX advanced market commitment.
    The United States is an important commercial and trade 
partner of the Caribbean region. We are the Caribbean Basin 
Initiative, CBI, we maintain a positive impact on a number of 
Caribbean basin economies. On March 22, the House--excuse me--
the White House launched the Small and Less Populous Island 
Economies, or SALPIE, initiative, which is a framework designed 
to further strengthen U.S. economic collaboration with island 
countries and territories in the Caribbean, North Atlantic, and 
Pacific regions.
    On energy, USAID's Caribbean Energy Initiative marks a 
planned 5-year $25 million investment in a more sustainable, 
reliable, and resilient energy future for the Caribbean. We 
have also identified a need for diversification of energy 
supplies and promotion of U.S. exports to address challenges 
and promote Caribbean energy security.
    Through the State Department-led U.S.-Caribbean Resilience 
Partnership, USCRP, we seek to strengthen Caribbean partner 
resilience to the impacts of climate change and severe weather-
related events. USCRP guides efforts to advance and coordinate 
U.S. and partner country resilience around the objective of 
supporting adaptation to climate change, enhancing regional 
disaster preparedness, providing geological hazards monitoring, 
and disaster mapping, and developing resilient infrastructure.
    On education, we seek to build human capital in the region 
through increased educational activities by coordinating 
regionwide engagements through academic and professional 
exchange programs, and massive online open courses, as well as 
increasing opportunities with diaspora and education 
stakeholders to build networks between the U.S. and the 
Caribbean.
    Finally, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, CBSI, a 
regional security partnership with 13 Caribbean countries co-
led by the U.S. Government, CARICOM, and the Dominican 
Republic, remains the centerpiece of our security efforts. CBSI 
programs advance our goals to reduce illicit trafficking, 
improve public safety and security, and prevent youth crime and 
violence.
    Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and I look forward to 
your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Lochman follows:]

    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
    Mr. Sires. Thank you very much.
    I now turn to you for your testimony, Ms. Feinstein.

STATEMENT OF BARBARA FEINSTEIN, ACTING SENIOR DEPUTY ASSISTANT 
   ADMINISTRATOR, U.S. AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT, 
           BUREAU OF LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

    Ms. Feinstein. Chairman Sires, Ranking Member Green, and 
distinguished members of the subcommittee.
    Thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the 
United States Agency for International Development. Over the 
past several months, the United States has heard from leaders 
across the Caribbean on their most pressing needs as they work 
to increase their resilience to natural disasters and climate 
change and overcome the challenges of COVID-19, either health, 
economic, or security-related.
    Caribbean leaders seek enhanced investment in disaster 
resilience and hurricane preparedness, increased support for 
crime and violence prevention, help to strengthen health and 
education, and, above all, access to COVID-19 vaccines. And as 
a neighbor, partner, and friend of the Caribbean, the United 
States stands ready to respond, both because it is the right 
thing to do and because doing so is in our national interest.
    As we begin the hurricane season, USAID is well poised to 
support the region in its time of need. With a team of 100-plus 
disaster experts located across the Caribbean and pre-
positioned emergency relief supplies to prioritize humanitarian 
needs during major storms and other emergencies. USAID is 
already providing nearly $5 million to assist more than 20,000 
people displaced by the recent eruption of the La Soufriere 
volcano in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. And in Guyana, we 
are supporting more than 36,000 families as they recover from 
devastating floods. In Haiti, where escalating violence 
continue to paralyze economic activity and trigger the 
displacement of individuals in whole communities, USAID has 
provided more than $34 million to address emergency food 
security needs and prevent malnutrition, reaching over 580,000 
Haitians.
    But while we support countries during their time of crisis, 
we are also helping the Caribbean to build greater resilience 
at the national, regional, and local levels by improving 
disaster risk reduction, promoting biodiversity conservation, 
generating data to improve climate forecasting and strategic 
planning, and supporting communities to plan for and adapt to 
shocks.
    USAID is also increasing energy resilience in the region--
in this region, which, as you know, has some of the world's 
highest energy costs. Through our $25 million 5-year Caribbean 
Energy Initiative, the agency is working to help diversify the 
energy sources used in the region's grids, strengthen 
infrastructure to withstand major shocks, and enhance the 
ability of utilities to manage their grids for greater 
resilience.
    Of course, the most pressing issue facing the Caribbean 
today is COVID-19, whose impacts stretch well beyond the health 
sector. To date, USAID has provided more than $28 million in 
health, humanitarian assistance, vaccine support, and economic 
growth funding to respond to COVID impacts in the Caribbean.
    On June 6, as my colleague mentioned, the White House 
announced its plans to purchase and donate 500 million doses of 
COVID-19 vaccines to 92 countries, several of which are in the 
Caribbean. And the region will also benefit from the White 
House's announcement of more than 20.6 million excess doses 
from the U.S. domestic supply.
    USAID is well-positioned to complement these deliveries 
with technical assistance to support equitable vaccine 
distribution and planning.
    As members of this committee are well aware, high rates of 
crime and violence remain endemic in the region. Through the 
Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, USAID is helping to 
improve the efficiency of judicial systems, promote governance, 
and fight corruption. Importantly, our work also helps to 
provide at-risk youth from the highest crime municipalities 
with educational, economic, and social opportunities to ensure 
that they can live productive and peaceful lives.
    In Saint Kitts and Nevis, for example, we have seen a 
sizable increase in target communities' perceptions of safety 
as a result of our efforts with perceptions increasing from 54 
percent in 2018 to almost 70 percent just 2 years later. And 
approximately 60 percent of eastern and southern Caribbean 
youth who completed USAID-sponsored work force development 
programs have now secured employment in the retail, 
hospitality, and tourism sectors.
    Yet, while these results are heartening, we recognize that 
much more remains to be done. And with this committee's strong 
support, we stand ready to continue to respond.
    To that end, it is important to note how our model of 
assistance differs from others, namely, that of the People's 
Republic of China, which furthers dependence or unsustainable 
debt. By contrast, the U.S. model is one of partnership with 
the countries in which we work. Our assistance promotes a 
country's own development path consistent with our shared 
values and interest. Again, thank you for your commitment to 
the Caribbean, and I look forward to your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Feinstein follows:]

    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
    Mr. Sires. Thank you.
    Ms. Fulton, you are recognized for your testimony.

  STATEMENT OF HEIDE FULTON, DEPUTY ASSISTANT SECRETARY, U.S. 
DEPARTMENT OF STATE, BUREAU OF INTERNATIONAL NARCOTICS AND LAW 
                      ENFORCEMENT AFFAIRS

    Ms. Fulton. Thank you, Chairman Sires, Ranking Member 
Green, and distinguished members of the panel. Thank you for 
calling this hearing and for the opportunity to appear before 
you today to discuss the progress of U.S. diplomatic and 
foreign assistance in the Caribbean, our third border.
    Today's hearing comes at a difficult time for our Caribbean 
partners who face violent crime and high homicide rates driven 
by increased gang-related violence, illegal firearms trade, and 
impunity as a result of ineffective criminal justice 
institutions. Our security partnership with our Caribbean 
neighbors remains fundamental to combating these shared 
challenges that threaten the safety and security of citizens 
across the region and in the United States.
    The mission of the Department of State's Bureau of 
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, or INL, is 
to keep Americans safe by countering crime, illegal drugs, and 
instability abroad. Under the Caribbean Basin Security 
Initiative, or CBSI, which was established over a decade ago, 
we work in partnership with 13 countries and regional security 
institutions to build law enforcement and justice sector 
capacities, to reduce drug trafficking and criminal threats to 
the United States, to enhance citizen security, and to hold 
criminals accountable.
    While the challenges are immense, I am confident that the 
partnerships we have developed under CBSI and bilaterally with 
Haiti have better positioned our Caribbean neighbors to 
confront drug trafficking, undercut the profits of gangs and 
criminal groups, and to build more effective criminal justice 
institutions.
    Maritime security is central to INL's efforts to combat 
drug trafficking in the region. For several years, INL has 
partnered with the Coast Guard on a multiprong maritime 
capacity-building program to improve vessel maintenance, 
develop interdiction capability, and enhance investigations and 
prosecutions. Regional Coast Guard advisors based in the 
Dominican Republic support sustainable improvements for 
interdiction operations and investigations and will soon expand 
across efforts across the region.
    Combined with Coast Guard technical assistance and 
training, in Fiscal Year 2021, these joint efforts have already 
contributed to 29 drug interdictions and 159 individuals 
arrested by Dominican Republic partners. We are also working to 
enhance subregional cooperation, improve maritime domain 
awareness, and develop a regional maritime security strategy.
    We prioritize building partner capacity to target illicit 
finance and undercut the profits of gangs and criminal groups 
that drive violence and instability across the region. In 
partnership with the National Center for State Courts, INL is 
implementing a civil asset recovery project that works with 
partner governments to draft model legislation and train 
financial investigators, attorneys, and judges. The six CBSI 
countries implementing such legislation have recovered more 
than $1.27 million in cash and $2.5 million in property since 
2013, which is reinvested into strengthening Caribbean security 
criminal justice sector institutions. A host of larger actions 
valued at more than $60 million are currently underway.
    Building the capacity of regional institutions is critical 
to INL's efforts in the Caribbean. The Caribbean Community's 
Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, or IMPACS, the 
regional security system, and Operation Bahamas, Turks and 
Caicos, are decades old trilateral counternarcotics partnership 
are each integral partners in multiplying and sustaining our 
programmatic efforts.
    Since CBSI's inception, annual cocaine seizures in the 
region have increased more than 200 percent due in part to the 
strong regional collaboration which is enabled by the program. 
INL recently transferred management of CBSI-Connect, a regional 
online law enforcement training program, to IMPACS. Since 2012, 
INL has supported the development, maintenance, and 
installation of a CBSI-Connect at 17 Caribbean law enforcement 
academies, including all CBSI countries, Belize and Haiti. 
CBSI-Connect provided Caribbean criminal justice sector 
institutions connectivity to ensure key functions continued 
during COVID lockdowns, and convinced previously hesitant 
justice sector actors of the platforms valued to ongoing 
training.
    In Haiti, we continue to invest in the professionalization 
and expansion of the national police, which, since 2019, has 
been the sole guarantor of citizen security. The Haitian police 
continues to mature even if they face intensifying gang threats 
to law and order and citizen security.
    Transnational crime, violence, and insecurity are threats 
that we share with our Caribbean neighbors and require our 
coordinated and sustained efforts. Where our programs are 
matched with committed partners in the region, we see results, 
and we will continue to work to ensure the effectiveness of 
future programs to build capacity and enhance regional security 
cooperation. I look forward to your questions.
    [The prepared statement of Ms. Fulton follows:]

    [GRAPHICS NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT]
    
    Mr. Sires. Thank you. We would now go to questions. I guess 
my first question is to you, Ms. Lochman and Ms. Feinstein.
    And I welcome the news that the Biden Adminstration is 
doing 30 million vaccines that it will send out by the end of 
June, and they will go to Latin America and the Caribbean. How 
are they distributing these vaccines in this region?
    Ms. Lochman. Thank you very much for that question, Mr. 
Chairman. Yes, we are now in the process of working with 
partners in the region, both on a----
    Mr. Sires. Who are the partners?
    Ms. Lochman. CARICOM's public health agency, CARPHA, as 
well as directly with certain of the bilateral governments to 
work out the modalities for the transfer of these vaccines. So 
these discussions are ongoing right now, and we are trying to 
make sure that we can ship them in a way that they arrive 
safely and that they maintain their effectiveness, since, as 
was pointed out earlier, the U.S. does produce the most 
effective vaccines in the world. And we are working with the 
recipient countries to make sure that they have the means to 
store them in the proper conditions and distribute them. And, 
in that regard, USAID is helping on the ground.
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you, just to complement that response, 
I would add, the White House, as we speak is working very 
closely with the State Department, with Gayle Smith's office, 
as well as USAID, CDC, et cetera, and partners on the ground to 
try to figure out how to navigate the complex modalities of all 
of this. Part of it depends on the particular vaccines that are 
used. Obviously, as you know, if Pfizer is going to be used, 
then that requires ultra-cold chain storage and certain levels 
of logistics. If different ones are used, then that requires 
different modalities. So these are all questions that right now 
the White House is working through. And my understanding is 
that there is a commitment to the allocations being completed 
by June, and then, shortly thereafter, we will expect to see 
those deliveries begin.
    And just to reference, as colleague said, USAID is working 
with these host country governments, with CARICOM, in 
particular, to work on equitable distribution strategies, and 
to try to work with the strategic planning.
    Mr. Sires. See, I do not have much time left. Here is where 
I have a problem. You have China going in and giving directly 
to these islands, the vaccine. They take all the credit. Why 
can't we do the same thing and take the credit instead of 
giving it to COVAX or CARICOM? They may be great organizations, 
but I am not looking to build those organizations, rather I am 
looking to build our position in the Caribbean. And our 
position in the Caribbean should be that we should send the 
vaccines directly to these people, let them know that it is the 
United States that is helping. And the Adminstration probably 
wants to buildup COVAX, whatever, but I am not interested in 
doing that. I wish the Adminstration would directly do that. 
And we have plans; we do things better than most people. Our 
vaccine is the best vaccine. And China goes into, for example, 
Dominica, they gave them 35,000 vaccines. They have 70,000 
people on the whole island. I mean, why can't we do that and 
get the credit? That just bothers me too much to let it go.
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I think your 
concerns are very well-founded in terms of the United States 
being able to get the credit for the generosity of these 
vaccines. And all I can tell you on that front is I know that 
the White House is very focused on communication strategies 
that are tailored to each donation that goes out to ensure that 
it is very clear to the people of those countries that this 
donation is coming from the U.S. Government. In addition, all 
of the vaccines that are going through Gavi COVAX will be 
branded with the American flag on there as a further 
investigation that this is coming from the United States.
    Mr. Sires. That is a good step. Now, the other issue that I 
have is that there are all these loans that China is giving to 
these islands. What are we doing to offset that, some of these 
places, that they do not take all the credit from China, you 
know?
    Ms. Lochman. Thank you very much for that question, Mr. 
Chairman. The United States is the natural partner of the 
Caribbean due to our strong historical, economic, commercial, 
cultural ties. And we are very present in the region. But you 
are correct that the PRC has, you know, made it a point to try 
to gain more of a foothold in the Caribbean region. And they 
have done this through, as you say, loans, grants, Belt and 
Road Initiative, as well as COVID-related assistance and 
weather disaster-related also. So the United States is 
advancing our positive agenda, particularly on the economic 
side, to try to counter this and to be the best partner 
possible to the Caribbean. And this includes supporting 
infrastructure investment that is competitive, transparent, and 
upholds the highest standards, environmental, social, labor 
standards, which right there distinguishes our investment. We 
also promote resilience to the impacts of climate change, 
which, as you noted, is a very significant concern of the 
Caribbean. And this is through the U.S. Caribbean Resilience 
Partnership.
    In addition, we provide assistance in promoting energy 
supply diversification in helping them build more resilient 
energy systems. And related to telecommunications, as this is 
the concern as well, we encourage our partners to prioritize 
security as they build out their 5G networks and to 
specifically exclude untrustworthy high-risk vendors as they do 
so.
    We also have deepened cooperation between Taiwan and the 
region. It was mentioned earlier they are partners. Yes, sir?
    Mr. Sires. Yes, my time is way past, and I want to make 
sure all of the other members have the same amount of time. 
Thank you.
    Ms. Lochman. OK. Thank you.
    Mr. Sires. Congressman Green?
    Mr. Green. Well, Chairman, that was my question.
    My question, No. 1, from Ms. Lochman. But sort of 
continuing on that theme with the CCP, as we move supply chains 
from China to Latin America and, specifically, the Caribbean, 
what are some segments or particular industries that you think 
the Caribbean would--that American companies and other 
companies should look to move to the Caribbean both for 
opportunity there and decreasing our dependence on Chinese 
manufacturing?
    Ms. Lochman. Thank you very much, Mr. Ranking Member, for 
that question. You know, we agree the United States can't 
address its supply chain vulnerabilities alone. Even as the 
U.S. makes investments to expand domestic production capacity 
for some critical products, we must work with allies and 
partners, including in the Caribbean, to secure supplies of 
critical goods that we will not make in sufficient quantities 
at home. So we will work with allies and partners to strengthen 
our collective supply chain resilience while ensuring high 
standards for labor and environmental practices are upheld. And 
I----
    Mr. Green. Is there a particular industry or segment that 
you think we could target for moving to the Caribbean area? 
That is really my question.
    Ms. Lochman. And I think this is something that, along with 
other U.S. Government agencies, we can be looking at and work 
in tandem with you as well to identify some of these sectors.
    Mr. Green. Yes, that is--I mean, it is time to roll the 
sleeves up and get it done, right? So let's motivate garment--
the garment industry. Or let's--you know, certain agricultural 
industries, or other things. We got to get manufacturing, 
specifically, moved from China to Latin America.
    But, Ms. Fulton, a quick question for you. And, first, 
thanks for your service in the Army. Which aspects of CBSI have 
seen the greatest success? And how can our security cooperation 
be improved in the Caribbean?
    Ms. Fulton. Thank you, sir. Overall, cocaine seizure from 
CBSI countries have risen substantially since the beginning of 
the initiative, rising from 5.5 metric tons in 2010 to a high 
of 22.6 metric tons in 2017. Even last year, despite COVID 
constraints, more than 17 metric tons were seized. So there has 
been a tangible impact in terms of----
    Mr. Green. That is a 400 percent increase. OK.
    Ms. Fulton [continuing]. Yes, sir. As the partnership has 
matured, we have been focused on strengthening regional 
security institutions so as to enable our partners to more 
effectively confront the challenges that they face. And this is 
where our partnership with CARICOM IMPACS has been, I think, 
quite successful. The training that has been sustained through 
the COVID period on the virtual platform that I mentioned 
during my remarks I think has substantially enabled the 
partners, despite the challenging conditions of the pandemic.
    We have continued on with our work in areas, for example, 
with the Dominican Republic, which is a location where 
approximately 90 percent of the cocaine that does go through 
the Caribbean, the percentage that you mentioned earlier, it 
does go through the Dominican Republic. We have yielded a 
substantial increase in cocaine interdictions. The government 
of the Dominican Republic has performed admirably in this 
regard. Their security forces seized more than 15 metric tons 
and--in 2020. And then, so far in 2021, they have already 
apprehended 5.2 metric tons. And so those increases alone are 
really quite remarkable.
    We have donated vessels to the Bahamas that have been used 
in intelligence-driven interdiction operations. And we are 
working on financial crime measures across the Caribbean to 
enable countries to implement asset seizure legislation and 
then invest the proceeds of the assets that they seize back 
into their systems so as to continue the strengthening and 
sustainability.
    Dominican security forces, again, another highlight of the 
work that they are doing in cooperation with U.S. law 
enforcement, they dismantled one of the largest drug 
trafficking organizations in the Caribbean with the capture of 
OFAC's sanctioned kingpin Cesar Peralta in Colombia in December 
2019.
    Narcotics seizures are one important component of the, I 
would say, the fruits of the collaboration that we have had 
with CBSI. But we have also made investments in citizen 
security and rule of law. The INL supported 911 system, the 911 
system that we have partnered with the Dominican Republic to 
implement, has been an essential component to reduce violence 
and increase public support for the police in that country. In 
Trinidad and Tobago, INL's Resistance and Prevention Program 
has reduced homicides and enterprise, which is a high crime 
community in that country.
    Mr. Green. If I could, what I might do is just have you--if 
you could just submit, just send me a letter, or submit a 
letter for us to put into the record. I am out of time.
    Ms. Fulton. Yes, sir.
    Mr. Green. But I want to hear more about what you are 
saying. Because this is the kind of success stories that we 
need to hear about. So thank you.
    And, Mr. Chairman, I yield.
    Ms. Fulton. Thank you, sir.
    Mr. Sires. Thank you.
    Congressman Castro.
    Mr. Castro. Thank you, Chairman. I want to express the 
concern that I expressed to Gayle Smith and others at USAID and 
others in the State Department within the last few weeks about 
the donation, the sale of vaccines to countries around the 
world, including in Latin America and the Caribbean. And that 
is I am concerned that, as we are making these donations or 
sales or in COVAX where--that we are not sufficiently requiring 
countries to put forward a strategic plan to be successful--and 
not just in receiving the vaccines; that is one thing. But as 
we know from our own experience domestically, it is one thing 
to have the vaccines, it is quite another to have the 
infrastructure in place to successfully get those vaccines in 
arms. And my concern is that, in a year or two or three or four 
or five, there are going to be all these stories about how we 
donated a million vaccines somewhere and only half of them got 
used.
    There was a case of--I believe the Democratic Republic of 
Congo that sent back 1.1 million or 1.3 million vaccines that 
they weren't able to use. So, if you think about it, if it was 
tough in American urban areas to be able to make sure that all 
of these vaccines were used in a timely manner, I can only 
imagine that challenges around the world in other places, both 
in urban and rural settings, to actually have those vaccines be 
effectively deployed.
    So I say that just for anybody that is having conversations 
in the Adminstration, internally, about this issue, I have a 
really--and not to lay blame, but I think that we are--you 
know, obviously, we are in a very big hurry to make sure that 
we get vaccines out around the world, which we should be. But I 
am also concerned that once they get out, I am wondering what 
the effectiveness rate is going to be of actually deploying 
them. So but that is separate. I probably have time for one 
question because I have gone on long about that.
    But, Ms. Feinstein, I have a question for you. Countries in 
the Caribbean have expressed interest in accessing support from 
the DFC for critical energy infrastructure investment. But per 
capita income levels for many countries are above DFC 
thresholds. And so how has the restriction on the DFC working 
in upper middle-income countries affected the U.S. Government's 
ability to undertake development projects in the Caribbean and 
in Latin America?
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you very much, Congressman, for that 
question. If I could briefly touch upon vaccines and then also 
DFC.
    Mr. Castro. Sure.
    Ms. Feinstein. Just to say, very much validating all of the 
comments and concerns that you have articulated, and they very 
much echo all of the conversations going on within USAID at 
this point and among practitioners who work on these issues. 
While, as you mentioned, it is absolutely urgent and vital that 
we provide these vaccines, we need to do so in a way that is 
equitable, that gets to especially marginalized and vulnerable 
populations, that it is done so in an efficient manner and also 
getting at issues around vaccine hesitancy, which is major 
concern also in the Caribbean as well as in other countries.
    So, to address these issues, I would note that actually a 
congressional notification went up yesterday for American 
Rescue Plan funding to provide USAID with the resources to work 
with individual countries on their strategic planning to try to 
get at some of these issues. That being said, these are 
monumentally difficult challenges, so we are going to--I 
certainly give you our commitment. We will work as hard as we 
can on it and with the smartest people in this field to try to 
have that kind of--so that these donations are not for naught 
and do not go used for wasted.
    Mr. Castro. And, again, and I know we are all concerned 
about it. And not to diminish your work or even to lay blame 
because I know we are trying to move as fast as we can. But you 
are right, I think we need to focus on working with the 
countries to really making sure that they can get their 
vaccines into arms. Again, it was a big problem in American 
cities for us. So.
    Ms. Feinstein. Now, with regard to the DFC and the 
impediment in terms of the high-income thresholds, it is 
certainly an obstacle. I think the places where we have seen 
DFC investments, particularly in terms of loan guarantees are 
those countries like Haiti, like Jamaica, where we do not have 
the same kind of obstacles or impediments.
    On energy, in particular, as I mentioned in my testimony, 
USAID began 2 years ago now this Caribbean Energy Initiative 
where we are making the kind of investments to help countries 
with their transition to renewable energy. For example, in 
Barbados, we are helping them to carry out their strategy to 
shift to renewables by 2030. We have helped the country of St. 
Lucia to revise their grid to allow for the use of renewable 
energy. So there is a lot of work we are doing in that space. 
But if we could work more closely with the DFC in that area, 
that certainly would be beneficial.
    Mr. Castro. Wonderful. So thank you for both those 
responses. And I am just about out of time, so I yield back, 
Chairman.
    Mr. Sires. Thank you.
    Congresswoman Salazar?
    Ms. Salazar. Thank you. And thank you to all of you for 
being here. And I would like to ask you a few questions, Ms. 
Lochman, about Cuba. You know the American consulate has a 
skeleton crew in Havana due in part to the sonic attacks in 
2017. You have 100,000 Cubans waiting for family reunification 
visa interview. Guyana is a possible destination for that 
interview, but the plane ticket is $7,000 on the black market.
    My district is the heart of Miami is inundated with 
relatives begging to finalize that process. One of them is 
Edgar Barrios. He is a 10-year-old child with leukemia, and the 
Nicklaus Children's Hospital is waiting to give him treatment 
but needs a visa to come into the United States. Nonetheless, 
in May 19, the American consulate opened its doors to give 
visas to 30 baseball Cuban players to come to play in West Palm 
Beach. That is grotesque. It is embarrassing. So I just would 
like you to explain to me who makes these decisions? Yes to 
baseball players, but not to sick kids with cancer?
    Ms. Lochman. Thank you, Congresswoman, for your question. I 
will take this back to my colleagues who focus on Cuba at the 
State Department, and we will work with your staff to make sure 
that we get a full answer to you.
    Ms. Salazar. But didn't you know this reality? 30 baseball 
players versus sick children? You didn't know this?
    Ms. Lochman. No--I do not follow Cuba myself ma'am, but we 
will definitely----
    Ms. Salazar. But you are the Deputy Assistant Secretary for 
Western Hemisphere Affairs, and Cuba is part of the Caribbean. 
do not you think that this is embarrassing for any 
Adminstration?
    Ms. Lochman. Yes, I will definitely take this back, 
Congresswoman, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.
    Ms. Salazar. And I would very much, yes, would like you to 
explain to me who makes these criteria because it affects the 
heart of my district. I am not being histrionic. I am just 
speaking for thousands of people who feel what I am telling 
you.
    Now, when will the State Department designate another 
country to conduct the final interview so these people can 
come, as the law says, to the United States with that family 
reunification visa? Do you know?
    Ms. Lochman. I personally do not. And, again, we will work 
closely with your staff on all of these questions to get you 
adequate answers.
    Ms. Salazar. But I really would like the State Department 
and your office to do--work very closely with us.
    Ms. Lochman. Understood.
    Ms. Salazar. And can we--do you know the answer to 
Guantanamo? Can we open the Guantanamo Naval Base so those 
Cubans can come and conduct that final interview on Cuban soil? 
Is that a possibility?
    Ms. Lochman. Again, we will definitely get you answers to 
all of these questions.
    Ms. Salazar. But I am a little bit appalled. And, Ms. 
Lochman, I am sorry you do not know what is really happening in 
Cuba vis-a-vis the United States and what is happening in the 
Embassy and the consulate and the sonic attacks and the 
skeleton crew. Are you aware? What are you aware of?
    Ms. Lochman. Yes, in my role, I follow the Caribbean, which 
is CARICOM and Dominican Republic and Haiti. And there are 
other individuals who cover Cuba in the Western Hemisphere 
Bureau.
    Ms. Salazar. And you are not the person?
    Ms. Lochman. Correct.
    Ms. Salazar. So who would that be person be?
    Ms. Lochman. The Acting Assistant Secretary Julie Chung is 
ultimately responsible for the bureau. And then Emily Mendrala 
is the Deputy Assistant Secretary following Venezuelan and 
Cuba.
    Ms. Salazar. So do you think that maybe my office or myself 
could have an interview with them as soon as possible? Because 
maybe there is light at the end of the tunnel, and we could 
definitely find a visa for this child named Edgar Barrios, who 
has leukemia and is dying.
    Ms. Lochman. We would be happy to work with you on that.
    Ms. Salazar. That would be--that is very gratifying. And I 
feel much better that the State Department has the intention of 
working with us in solving this type of visa. And I thank you. 
So I yield back.
    Mr. Sires. Thank you. Congressman Levin.
    Mr. Levin. Thanks, Mr. Chairman. Thanks for holding this 
important hearing, and thanks to all of our witnesses. I would 
like to direct my first question to Ms. Lochman regarding 
elections that are slated to take place in Haiti later this 
year. Secretary Blinken appeared before our committee earlier 
this month and made clear the Biden Adminstration opposes the 
constitutional referendum that had been planned for this month, 
which, thankfully, has now been postponed. Secretary Blinken 
also said, and I am quoting, ``We still think there is a 
possibility and opportunity if the appropriate steps are put in 
place to have an election.''
    As you know, I have been extremely concerned that free and 
fair elections in Haiti this year are simply not possible. So I 
am pleased the Adminstration is looking closely at the 
conditions on the ground there and what they might mean for 
elections and their credibility and, frankly, their 
possibility.
    Ms. Lochman, the Provisional Electoral Council, the CEP, 
was not created through legitimate process under the Haitian 
constitution. Voter registration is way behind. Kidnappings, 
rapes, murders, and general impunity are widespread. De facto 
President Moise failed to organize elections for other levels 
of government and is seen as having overstayed his mandate by 
the vast majority of the organizations and constituencies that 
make up patient civil society.
    Would you tell us more specifically what the State 
Department would consider the appropriate steps that would have 
to be put in place for Haitian elections organized under Moise 
this year to be considered free, fair, and credible?
    Ms. Lochman. Thank you very much, Congressman, for those 
questions. And if I can take them maybe in sequential order. 
You referenced first the referendum. And what you understood 
from Secretary Blinken is exactly the case, which is we do not 
support the constitutional referendum. And we believe that the 
focus of the Haitian Government, the Haitian society, should be 
squarely on holding free and fair legislative and Presidential 
elections this year. Obviously, it is up to the Cuban people 
whether they seek to reform their constitution or not, but we 
believe that it should be done in a process that is open, 
participatory, and transparent, and that, so far, it has not 
been. And, again, the focus should be on elections. And granted 
there are serious concerns regarding security and preparation 
for elections in Haiti, we are monitoring those circumstances. 
We are working with the United Nations, with the Organization 
of American States, with the core group of countries to, you 
know, with the Haitian Government to try to move toward, you 
know, having in place the conditions that would allow for 
elections this year. We believe it is extremely important, 
first of all, to end rule by decree, which has been going on 
since January 2020, and to have a democratic transfer of 
executive power in February of next year. And then the 
legislature needs to be reinstated, and you can only do that 
through elections. So we will continue to work in every way we 
can to try to enable elections this year. And I am sorry your 
next, on the----
    Mr. Levin. Well, let me just say that having elections for 
elections' sake when they are not credible and won't work just 
delays the restoration of democracy. We have to accept reality 
and do what has been done in the past in Haiti where things got 
into this kind of a situation, and, you know, have some kind of 
a provisional government that can restore democratic 
conditions. Because any election held under the de facto 
President Moise just simply will not be free and fair and 
credible. And so you are actually--whatever good intentions, we 
are just going to be delaying the actual restoration of 
democracy.
    Let me move on and ask about vaccines and efforts to 
control the COVID surge. And I will direct these questions to 
you, Ms.--is it Feinstein or Feinstein? What is your flavor? I 
want to get it right.
    Ms. Feinstein. Whichever you prefer depends----
    Mr. Levin. Oh, my goodness----
    Ms. Feinstein [continuing]. On a member of my family.
    Mr. Levin [continuing]. OK. I am grateful that the Biden 
Adminstration has recognized the dire need for vaccines in 
Haiti and other countries and has made Haiti a priority in its 
distribution efforts. But I worry that vaccines aren't making 
it to Haiti quickly and, that once they do, I am concerned 
about obstacles around distribution efforts in countries, as my 
colleague, Mr. Castro was referencing.
    Can you share with us any updates about when you expect--
let me ask you a few questions. You can sort of answer them in 
however you want. First of all, when do you expect promised 
vaccines to reach Haiti? And then what is being done now to 
ensure that, once the vaccines are delivered, distribution 
plans are in place to make sure they reach those who need them 
and to make sure they aren't diverted?
    And then I am hearing a lot from colleagues in the medical 
field, in hospitals, especially, in parts of our country that 
have big Haitian American communities about desiring to get to 
vaccine doses that may go to waste in our country and get them 
to Haiti. And I wonder if USAID is working with, you know, our 
partners like hospital systems. I hear from people who run 
hospitals in Haiti who say, give us the doses, we can 
distribute them, and there are just no doses in sight for the 
Haitian people. So, Mr. Chairman, I do not know if it is OK for 
them to--for her answer to answer the question. I realize I 
have----
    Mr. Sires. You just used up the second question. The second 
5 minutes.
    Mr. Levin. I think he says you can answer. That is my 
interpretation. So go for it.
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you, Congressman, for those important 
questions. So, with regard to vaccines, we are as frustrated as 
everyone is by the delays in the delivery of the AstraZeneca 
vaccines, we understand, have been caught up due to supply 
chain issues in India and obviously the needs in India. So I 
unfortunately do not have a specific date for when those will 
arrive. I do not know if my colleague has updated information. 
I wish I did, but regrettably we do have that.
    With regard to helping Haiti on COVID more broadly and then 
with regard to vaccines, we have ongoing programming right now 
that we, shortly after the pandemic, began to help with risk 
communications, water and sanitation. And perhaps our biggest 
effort there has been related to oxygen, which as you know is 
absolutely critical for providing that kind of support when 
somebody has a severe case of COVID.
    And, in fact, since you know the country so well, I would 
share that, just a few weeks ago, we had a nightmare situation 
over the weekend where Father Rick from the St. Luke's Hospital 
reached to USAID and said that oxygen that was supposed to be 
headed his way--you may have been tracking the situation in 
real time--was cut caught up by gang violence at the docks 
where, in fact, the shipments could not actually proceed to the 
hospital. It was a terrible situation. We looked to see could 
DOD do anything. No, they weren't able to. What could USAID do? 
In the end, thankfully, some kind of agreement was reached, and 
the oxygen was able to get to St. Luke's. And the people who 
were needing it that weekend were able to survive as a result.
    Thankfully, as a result of that crisis situation, we were 
able to work with the Ministry of Health in Haiti and provide 
dedicated oxygen supply onsite to the hospital. And we have 
additional resources where we are surging more support for the 
oxygen ecosystem into Haiti.
    With regard to the vaccine distribution plan, right now, 
that is being handled by CDC, the kind of technical assistance 
that we are providing in the eastern and southern Caribbean and 
elsewhere. CDC is providing that kind of technical support. 
However, as I mentioned, in the congressional notification that 
went up yesterday, we expect to also have additional resources 
for USAID to be able to work with the government of Haiti. 
However, as I mentioned to Congressman Castro and as you well 
know, the challenges are immense. In addition, regular 
challenges anywhere are difficult. In Haiti, given the security 
situation, possibility of diversion, gang violence, et cetera, 
it only makes it that much more difficult. But as we have more 
information, I am happy to share that with you.
    RPTR WARREN
    EDTR SECKMAN
    [4 p.m.]
    Mr. Levin. Thanks very much.
    Let me say, in closing, Mr. Chairman, Ms. Feinstein, I want 
to work with you on the energy transition because I think we 
have to think a lot bigger about it, and it could be 
transformative for our relationships with countries throughout 
the Caribbean and Latin America more broadly. But the best 
answer to all the anxiety about Belt and Road and the Chinese 
is not to be reactive or defensive but in a big-hearted and 
broad-shouldered American way go in and partner with these 
countries and go way, way beyond what we have done in terms of 
onshore wind, offshore wind, solar, micro grid storage, and so 
forth. So let's meet separately about that.
    Thanks, Mr. Chairman, for your forbearance. I yield back.
    Mr. Sires. We are going to go down a second round since Mr. 
Levin started the second round already.
    I--we took a trip last year to Curacao. Curacao? Curacao? 
And one of the things that we saw there was the impact of the 
Venezuelan migrants. It was almost a crisis. They kept 
complaining how a country that had low crime, all of a sudden 
crime was a problem, obviously because they couldn't work, and 
they couldn't find work. So it didn't help the situation.
    I was just wondering what has been the impact of our 
assistance to the Caribbean to support Venezuelan migrants and 
refugees and what more can be done because we, you know, as 
they hop from island to island, obviously, the same situation 
is going to be developed. So I am just wondering what impact 
has our assistance to the Venezuelan migrants made. Anyone?
    Ms. Lochman. I could start and pass it to my colleague.
    Yes, you are absolutely correct. Nearly 5.6 million 
Venezuelans have fled their country, and it is a U.S. priority 
to provide humanitarian aid not only to those in the country 
but to those who have had to flee. So we will continue to work 
with other partners to get humanitarian assistance to these 
individuals.
    And in that regard perhaps I could turn the microphone over 
to my colleague from the USAID.
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you. And this is a very critical 
issue, Mr. Chairman. Glad that you raised it. Our efforts from 
USAID have primarily been focused in Trinidad and Tobago and in 
Guyana on the issue of Venezuelan migrants.
    In Trinidad and Tobago, we had a program that literally 
just ended last year where we worked with the receptor 
communities to try to reduce conflict between the migrants, to 
try to increase better understanding between those communities, 
to provide psychosocial support also to the migrants who had 
come, access to education there. We also funded a hotline for 
migrants to report cases of abuse because, as you know, they 
are very much victimized in T&T and in other places that they 
have migrated to. So and the good news there is that many of 
those practices and processes have been taken over by local 
agencies, by other partners. I know that the State Department's 
Bureau for Population, Refugees, and Migration also has 
programming in many of these countries.
    In Guyana, our focus has been more on gender-based violence 
with regard to Venezuelan migrants, since that that has been a 
terrible problem there. And in that sense, we have been 
connecting migrants with counseling, financial aid, food 
support, employment opportunities, cross-cultural exchange, 
legal support, and classes in English. So our efforts there 
continue, though, obviously, this is a problem that is not 
going away anytime soon and warrants increased resources and 
attention.
    Mr. Sires. Do you know anything about the refinery in 
Curacao? Curacao? Is it still functioning or--at one time it 
wasn't. Does anybody know? No? OK. That was a
    [inaudible] issue.
    Ms. Lochman. Mr. Chairman, we are happy to get back to you 
with information on that.
    Mr. Sires. Good. Thank you.
    Congressman Green.
    Mr. Green. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
    My next question is for Ms. Feinstein. Obviously disaster 
resilience is better than disaster response. Can you tell how 
we are helping for resilience against hurricanes, et cetera?
    Ms. Feinstein. Thank you very much for that question, 
Congressman.
    So, as you said, this is something that we see as a 
critical investment. Clearly USAID has and will continue to 
provide responses in the event of disasters. However, if we can 
shore up these countries' actual resilience--and that takes a 
number of forms--then we will be in much better shape, as will 
they.
    So, to give you a few examples, we have worked at the 
regional level and what that has looked like is providing 
support for the Caribbean Emergency Management Agency, Disaster 
Emergency Management Agency, CDEMA, to strengthen their own 
protocols, to strengthen their own coordination abilities, to 
strengthen their own abilities to forecast, to provide early 
warnings to countries within the CARICOM region so that they 
can plan better responses to that. So we have been shoring up 
their capacity again so it is not just the United States going 
in every time.
    Similarly, another institution in the region is the 
Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, and we have 
helped to get them accredited in that field on an international 
basis. So, again, they have State-of-the-art systems for the 
kind of weather forecasting that will assist countries in the 
region.
    At a local level, we are also working through the Inter-
American Foundation to work with small communities and they do 
so on a cost-matching basis, whether that is in-kind or actual 
resources, to work on disaster planning at the local level and 
also on community resilience projects, for example, mangrove 
nurseries or other coastal restoration, coral reef restoration, 
et cetera, so that they can do their part with regard to 
resilience.
    And, obviously, we recognize this isn't just a disaster 
issue. It is also critical to the tourism industry, as both you 
and Chairman Sires have mentioned. And so, in that sense, we 
also have done work in the energy space in Jamaica and 
elsewhere to make transitions to renewable energy and other 
aspects to try to allow, whether it is hotels or other 
institutions, to spring back more effectively from disasters.
    Mr. Green. Good. No, that is great to hear.
    I will tell you, Mr. Chairman, I thought we had lots of 
acronyms in the Army. USAID and the State Department have just 
about as many.
    Ms. Lochman, a question for you. It would appear that, over 
the past 15 or so years, China's economic influence in the 
Caribbean area has gone from $1 billion to $8 billion. 
Obviously, that is a concern for us. You and I--I asked you 
about the CCP earlier. Getting a little more specific, are 
there any free trade agreements or preferential agreements that 
we can establish that would help us be the go-to for the 
Caribbean and keep China from pushing its influence into the 
region?
    Ms. Lochman. OK. Thank you very much for that question, Mr. 
Representative.
    We do have trade programs and that is under the Caribbean 
Basin Initiative, the CBI, and that involves trade preferences, 
and they were augmented with the passage of the Caribbean Basin 
Economic Recovery Act, as well as the Caribbean Basin Trade 
Partnership Act, and then, for Haiti, the HOPE and HELP 
programs.
    So those are, you know, powerful tools in that sense to 
promote the economic development of some of our closest 
neighbors. And I had mentioned earlier in promoting our 
positive economic agenda in the region, which allows us to be 
the partner of choice, there is one initiative that is very new 
and was announced by the White House just in April and that is 
the SALPIE, the Small and Less Populous Island Economies 
Initiative, and that initiative will finance group the 
activities of approximately 29 U.S. Government agencies and 
departments. And so it will be a method of coordinating what we 
do across the U.S. Government vis--vis economic development in 
the region.
    Mr. Green. Would it be possible--and you can do so in a 
letter, I do not need it today--rattle off the names of the 
islands but if you could perhaps send our office or put into 
the record via writing what the names of those islands' 
countries are.
    Ms. Lochman. Absolutely.
    Mr. Green. Thanks.
    Ms. Lochman. Yes, we will do.
    Mr. Green. I think, Mr. Chairman, I am over. So----
    Mr. Sires. Ms. Fulton, we areputting together a codel--that 
is fine. Thank God it is not an evacuation--we are planning a 
codel, and we are going down first to SOUTHCOM. I was wondering 
if you can tell me what we can ask, what we can expect, you 
know, when we get down there. I have been there once before, 
and, obviously, security is a big concern and trafficking is a 
big concern. So----
    Mr. Green [continuing]. So the 295?
    Mr. Sires [continuing]. Right, yes, right. You got it.
    So if you have any suggestions, please.
    Ms. Fulton. Yes, Mr. Chairman, I think it would be--I think 
your visit would be welcome, and I know that the leadership at 
SOUTHCOM would be happy to provide you with an overview of the 
activities and their efforts to partner with Caribbean Nations 
to improve their security and domain awareness. We coordinate 
closely with SOUTHCOM, and there are a variety of efforts 
underway that I am sure that they would be happy to brief you 
on in greater detail in preparation for that trip as you 
determine where to go.
    And as we talked yesterday, we will be happy to provide a 
list of suggestions. I think that the Dominican Republic, 
Haiti, and Jamaica would probably be--I would recommend them 
being at the top of your list, but I think we will get back to 
you in a more fulsome way with some suggestions for your 
consideration.
    Mr. Sires. OK. Thank you.
    Ms. Fulton. Yes, sir.
    Mr. Sires. Thank you again for joining us.
    As I said at the beginning of this hearing, I believe we 
need to take immediate steps to distribute vaccines directly to 
the Caribbean. I look forward to working with Ranking Member 
Green and our colleagues to deepen U.S. engagement with the 
Caribbean and elevate the Caribbean as a priority for U.S. 
foreign policy and national security.
    With that, the committee is adjourned. Thank you.
    [Whereupon, at 4:10 p.m., the subcommittee was adjourned.]

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