[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 25 (Tuesday, March 2, 2004)]
[House]
[Page H748]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               HELP HAITI

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Blackburn). Under a previous order of 
the House, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee) is recognized for 
5 minutes.
  Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, first, let me thank Members of Congress 
tonight, the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Conyers) for our focus and for leading this effort not only 
tonight but over the years with regard to Haiti.
  Of course, Haiti tonight is on the minds and in the hearts of the 
international community, of many of us here in Congress and throughout 
the country. And tonight I want to first ask and raise concern for the 
safety and for the security of President Aristide and Mrs. Aristide and 
for their family. Given the circumstances of their departure, I think 
it is appropriate that we be concerned about their safety and insist 
that our government ensure that they not be put in harm's way.
  For many years now we have consistently attempted to increase the 
Congress's role, the administration's role with regard to engagement 
with Haiti. We have asked over and over again for immediate 
humanitarian assistance, development assistance, infrastructure 
assistance. Really, all of those efforts to allow the Haitian people to 
live, to survive, and to move forward. Yet, repeatedly, over and over 
and over again, this administration has blocked any type of assistance, 
has embargoed efforts to ensure that the Haitian people receive the 
funding that they have negotiated, every single time. This 
administration went to the international community and blocked from the 
world the type of aid and assistance and economic development that 
Haiti needs.
  It is unbelievable the type of circling of the wagons that we have 
seen as it relates to Haiti. Now, unfortunately, our country has helped 
to ensure that democratically elected president of Haiti was overthrown 
and this is totally unacceptable. What I have seen in the last few 
years is that really this country was setting up the situation which 
has occurred over the last few weeks. It really has helped democracy 
fail in Haiti, and that to me is a shame and it is a disgrace. Over and 
over again this administration has undermined and undercut President 
Aristide's attempts at social and economic development and the 
political challenges that have devastated his country. Over and over 
again I witnessed President Aristide comply with all of the 
requirements of the United States. One month it was this. The next 
month it was that. The next month it was something else. The Haitian 
government continually complied, continually stepped up to the plate 
even when it caused some discussions and some turmoil in their own 
country as a result of, for instance, having to raise the price of 
gasoline so that the international banks would be satisfied so that 
they could get the money that then negotiated for their loans. 
Outrageous kinds of requirements this country put on the Haitian 
government. Yet, still President Aristide responded and complied.
  So what we have witnessed over the last couple of weeks really was 
the march to a coup d'etat. We witnessed the execution of a plan that I 
believe was really developed by, of course, those; and we are having 
hearings tomorrow so we will begin to expose and at least ask the 
questions, but it was the execution of a plan that we saw, I remember I 
think during the 1980s around Nicaragua, around some of the attempts to 
overthrow governments in Latin America, the U.S. ambassador, 
Negroponte, and Noriega who then was Senator Helm's person. We see many 
of the same kinds of players in place. And so, unfortunately, I am 
seeing an updated repeated performance of what we saw in the 1980s in 
Latin America. And, yes, this country has said that central to its 
foreign policy is regime change. That is a public kind of policy. And 
regime change manifests itself in many, many ways.
  If I were Venezuela or Brazil, not to mention Cuba, I would be a bit 
concerned with what we know now and what we see taking place in terms 
of how the execution of a regime change, foreign policy takes place.
  Finally, let me just say, when Secretary Powell says, it is nonsense 
and we are engaged in conspiracy theories, I would ask people to look 
at the ``U.S. War Against Haiti, Hidden From the Headlines.'' These are 
the facts. We will begin to expose it tomorrow.

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