[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 26, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7642-S7643]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      P.L. 480 ASSISTANCE IN HAITI

  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I want to talk this evening about an issue 
about which I have spoken before on the floor of the Senate, and that 
is the situation with the children in the poor country of Haiti. I rise 
tonight to remind my colleagues of a very important feeding program 
that is crucial to these children. The program I am talking about, of 
course, is the Public Law 480 title II Food Assistance Program which, 
according to the USAID mission in Port au Prince in Haiti, helps feed 
roughly 500,000 Haitian schoolchildren and almost 10,000 orphaned 
children through its Orphan Feeding Program.
  As we know, funding for the P.L. 480 title II program was included in 
the Senate fiscal year 2001 Agriculture appropriations bill, which we 
in the Senate recently passed. I commend and thank the chairman and 
ranking member on the subcommittee, Senator Cochran and Senator Kohl, 
and also the chairman and ranking member on the full committee, Senator 
Stevens and Senator Byrd, for their continuing ongoing support of 
Public Law 480.
  I am very pleased the committee included language in the Agriculture 
appropriations bill that will maintain the same level of USAID 
resources for the Orphan Feeding Program in Haiti as were provided for 
our current year. I urge my colleagues in conference to continue this 
language and continue this program.
  The reality is that the country of Haiti is a great human tragedy. 
The nation is in turmoil on a political, economic, and humanitarian 
level. Though the small island nation finally did hold its 
parliamentary elections in May after three previous postponements, and 
though voter turnout was certainly acceptable and the citizens were 
voting, the openness of these elections remains in serious question. 
The violence against opposition party members and supporters leading up 
to the May election cast serious doubt on the legitimacy of this 
election.
  Leon Manus, the president of the electoral council, resigned after 
the first round of elections and had to flee the country fearing for 
his life after having accused the Haitian Government of pressuring him 
to approve the questionable election results.
  The international community has severely and justifiably criticized 
both rounds of elections, with the European Union threatening economic 
sanctions. In spite of widespread criticism, in spite of OAS refusal to 
recognize the contested election results, Haitian officials proceeded 
with the runoff elections on July 9, and, as expected, a handful of 
Haitians turned out to vote, just a handful of people for the few 
legislative and local offices that were not already won by the ruling 
Lavalas Party.
  Prior to these elections, I spoke on the Senate floor about Haiti's 
distressing political and economic situation. I talked at that time 
about how it was incumbent upon the political elite and the ruling 
party in Haiti, the Fanmi Lavalas Party, to make and to take reforms 
seriously. As I said then, and I have said many times before, Haiti 
simply will not progress until its political leaders and the elite in 
that country take responsibility for their situation and commit to true 
democratic reform.
  Regardless of the recent election outcome, Haiti can succeed as a 
democracy if and only if the leaders of the nation, the political 
elite, the ruling elite, the economic elite, resolve to develop a free 
market system, resolve to reduce corruption, resolve to improve Haiti's 
judicial system and its election process, resolve to respect human 
rights and develop a sustainable agricultural system that can feed its 
people, and especially the poor children of Haiti.

  Despite the success--I have seen it; and there has been success--of 
some

[[Page S7643]]

USAID programs to promote growth in Haiti's agricultural sector, past 
deforestation and a lack of education about how best to use the land 
for both short-term and long-term economic gain have slowed, almost to 
a standstill, any improvement in the agricultural sector.
  Because of that, I firmly believe that the United States should 
continue efforts aimed at teaching Haitian farmers viable ways to 
farm--agriculture that produces food for the Haitian people now and 
conserves the land for production in the future by generations to 
come--agriculture that shows farmers how sustainable agriculture is 
really in their best economic interest, both in the short run and in 
the long run.
  Efforts to work directly with farmers provide the greatest hope of 
preventing Haitians from abandoning agriculture for urban areas, such 
as Port-au-Prince. One of the biggest problems in Haiti is that so many 
people who are not making it in agriculture at all, who can't feed 
their family, understandably flee the countryside and go into one of 
Haiti's big cities, only to face worse poverty and create a more dire 
situation for their family. The only way that will stop is if Haiti can 
develop, with our assistance, with the assistance of the international 
community, a viable, sustainable agricultural program.
  As I have said, I have visited Haiti eight or nine times. My wife and 
I have seen many of these programs and have seen that they do, in fact, 
work. But until sustainable improvements are made in the Haitian 
agricultural sector, I believe we have a responsibility--I believe we 
have an obligation--to ensure that humanitarian and food assistance 
continues to reach this tiny island nation and most particularly, most 
importantly, continues to reach these children.
  That is why it is vital that we maintain current funding levels for 
the Public Law 480 title II assistance program for Haiti and other 
parts of the world as well. The simple fact is, this program is 
essential to the survival--literally the survival--of many thousands of 
Haitian children, especially those living in overcrowded orphanages.
  There are currently 114 orphanages throughout Haiti receiving USAID 
funds and caring for a vast number of children. Quite candidly, these 
represent just a small fraction of the total number of orphanages on 
this island.
  My wife Fran and I have traveled to Haiti repeatedly--eight times in 
the past 5 years. We visited many of these orphanages. We have seen the 
dire and dismal conditions. We have held the children and felt their 
malnourished bodies. But we have also seen what can happen with these 
children, and how so many dedicated people working in these orphanages 
can literally nurse these children back to life.
  The orphanages of Haiti feed and take care of thousands upon 
thousands upon thousands of orphaned and abandoned children. The flow 
of desperate children into these orphanages is constant, and these 
facilities face the increasing challenge of accommodating these 
children.
  It is these children who need our help the most. It is these children 
who are not capable of providing for themselves. That is why I am 
convinced that the Public Law 480 title II feeding program is 
absolutely essential. This low-cost program guarantees one meal per day 
to orphan children who otherwise would not receive any food at all.

  The school feeding program is also essential because the title II 
assistance program--the offer of a free meal to these children, and the 
parents who send their children to school--helps keep Haitian children 
in school.
  I again thank the committee for its support for and its commitment to 
Public Law 480 title II assistance for these children in Haiti.
  I urge my colleagues on the conference committee--and throughout this 
year, and into the next--to continue their support for this program.

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