[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 87 (Tuesday, June 22, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Pages S7163-S7164]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          THE CRISIS IN HAITI

  Mr. DODD. Mr. President, I rise today to speak about the lamentable 
situation in Haiti. After suffering political upheaval and widespread 
violence over the last few months, the Haitian people are now facing 
even more desperate circumstances.
  During the last 2 weeks of May, floods devastated major sections of 
Haiti and parts of the Dominican Republic. The death toll in Haiti has 
reached nearly 2,600 people not including the missing and medical 
personnel expect that number to climb higher as the waters recede and 
reclamation efforts become possible.
  In the immediate aftermath of the catastrophe, aid workers, Haitian 
officials, and foreign troops--including U.S. soldiers scrambled to 
prevent the crisis from worsening. They have been delivering emergency 
supplies of food and water, building temporary housing, and working to 
prevent the spread of disease.
  I am concerned, however, by reports that the efforts are sorely 
under-funded

[[Page S7164]]

and risk being overwhelmed by the sheer size of the disaster. Doctors 
are struggling to combat outbreaks of malaria and dengue, and the New 
York Times reports that aid workers were using mules for 
transportation, since the U.S. military is no longer airlifting aid to 
isolated communities. The U.S. Agency for International Development has 
pledged $50,000 in emergency aid, but we ought to do much more.
  I wish I could say that the devastation was solely an act of nature, 
but it was not. Had these same rains fallen over Florida, the damage 
would have been much less severe and the death toll would be in the 
single digits instead of the thousands.
  As my esteemed colleague from Ohio, Senator DeWine, described in his 
statement on June 1st, Haiti's economic underdevelopment exacerbated 
the effects of the flooding. Widespread deforestation of hillsides 
meant that, when the rains came, there was nothing to hold the soil in 
place. The subsequent landslides devastated many of the villages. And 
without roads and emergency services, there was no way to evacuate the 
Haitians who were caught in the path of the floods.
  Yet the devastation is not over. For the tens of thousands of 
Haitians who were left homeless, whose crops were destroyed, and whose 
communities were razed by the floodwaters, the next few months will be 
a struggle between life and death.
  It pains me to say that the floods are only the most recent setback 
for a country already struggling to overcome economic and social 
crises. Haiti, by most measures, is the poorest country in the 
hemisphere with nearly 80 percent of its population living in abject 
poverty. The life expectancy has fallen to 52 years and more than 6 
percent of Haitians are infected with the HIV virus.
  In recent years Haiti has become a major trans-shipment point for 
cocaine trafficking. The State Department, in its annual Narcotics 
Control Strategy Report, describes Haiti as, ``a key conduit for drug 
traffickers transporting cocaine from South America to the United 
States.'' Sadly, more than half of all Haitians are unable to 
participate in the formal economy, and, as a consequence, many of these 
people turn to the illegal drug trade as a source of income.
  This influx of drug money into Haiti has further eroded the rule-of-
law. Corruption now seems endemic in even the highest levels of 
government and private enterprise.
  Not all the news from Haiti is bad, however. Recently, I had the 
opportunity to meet with Prime Minister [Gerard] Latortue while he was 
visiting Washington. I was impressed by his vision for Haiti, and 
encouraged by the efforts he has made since his appointment to 
stabilize the country. During our meeting, Prime Minister Latortue 
emphasized the need for major improvements in infrastructure, 
particularly in the power sector. He also stressed to me the urgent 
need for capacity-building amongst government institutions which cannot 
carry out their responsibilities without the trained personnel and 
resources to do so.
  Unfortunately the Bush Administration has been extremely slow to 
respond to Prime Minister Latortue's requests for aid. President 
Aristide was deposed in late February, but it wasn't until late May--
nearly 3 months later--that the Administration finally cobbled together 
a $160 million aid package for Haiti--$60 million of which was already 
in the pipeline before the February departure of President Aristide. 
I'm afraid that the amount they have allotted, about $20 per Haitian, 
is too little, too late.

  This lukewarm response only continues a trend in the Bush 
administration's policy toward Haiti. Since 2000, the U.S. Government 
has taken a shameful, hands-off approach to Haiti, turning its back on 
a growing crisis. After the Bush administration facilitated President 
Aristide's removal, citing his incompetence as the justification for 
supporting the involuntary departure of an elected president, one would 
have hoped that there was some sense of obligation on the part of the 
administration to do right by the Haitian people. Sadly, that sense of 
obligation is minimal at best, even in the face of the natural disaster 
that has recently befallen the Haitian people.
  So what should the U.S. response be to the political, economic, and 
social crises in Haiti? Should we continue the hands-off approach of 
the Bush administration? Or, should we offer Haiti a hand up? I believe 
that we have a special obligation to help Haiti, and I'm offering three 
proposals for how we can do that.
  First, we should halt the removal of the 1,900 U.S. troops currently 
stationed in Haiti. Prime Minister Latortue has asked that we extend 
the U.S. military presence, fearing that U.S. troops are the only ones 
capable of dissuading further violence. The original decision to depart 
upon the arrival of the Brazilian-led UN Peacekeeping force was made 
before last month's flooding--and before the destabilizing effects of 
the current humanitarian crisis.
  Let me take a moment here to talk about the security situation. Many 
have speculated about the re-establishment of the Haitian Army. Because 
this is ultimately a question for the Haitian people to answer--
especially in light of the Haitian Army's history of abuses--I believe 
that the decision should be left for the next elected government to 
address. Given the scarcity of resources and the absence of a specific 
national security mission, I for one believe that reestablishing the 
army is a luxury that Haiti can ill afford. In any event, the current 
caretaker government should concern itself with establishing domestic 
stability and security, preparing for elections, and, most critical of 
all, working to end the current humanitarian crisis.
  The Bush administration can help the LaTortue government move forward 
with its stated agenda by working with the international community and 
the Haitian National Police to establish the rule of law. Clearly 
reestablishing security requires that we step up efforts to disarm all 
the various illegal armed groups. So far less than 200 arms have been 
rounded up. And the focus seems to be solely on Aristide supporters, 
not the armed thugs who have perpetrated a reign of terror throughout 
the countryside for the last nine months.
  Next, in accordance with the resolution agreed upon by the 
Organization of American States, we must undertake to foster full 
restoration of democracy in Haiti. Our first obligation is to get to 
the bottom of allegations that the United States participated in the 
ouster of President Aristide. The OAS has just begun an investigation 
into the matter, and we should cooperate fully to dispel any myths or 
redress any errors.
  My last proposal is for a $1 billion emergency aid package for Haiti 
over the next 4 years. If we are willing to devote hundreds of billions 
of dollars for the endeavors in Afghanistan and Iraq--half a world 
away--doesn't it make sense for us to devote a fraction of that amount 
to assist one of our nearest and most impoverished neighbors? 
Announcing a multiyear aid package, we demonstrate our commitment to 
the Haitian people and also serve as an example for others in the 
international community to offer up multiyear assistance packages as 
well. As UN Secretary General Kofi Annan stated in March, getting it 
right in Haiti this time, ``means keeping international attention and 
resources engaged for the long haul.''
  It is long past time for the United States to address the mounting 
crisis in Haiti. It is time for us to offer the Haitian people a hand 
up. Toward that end, I believe that this body should give serious 
consideration to making a down payment on the $1 billion aid proposal 
for Haiti in the FY 2005 Appropriations process when the Senate deals 
with this legislation. Only through concrete and meaningful U.S. 
assistance on a scale commensurate with Haiti's needs can we ever hope 
to reverse the misery, suffering, and hopelessness that have become 
commonplace in the lives of close neighbors--8 million of them.

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