[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 7 (Monday, January 13, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E51]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




COMMEMORATING THE FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE CATASTROPHIC EARTHQUAKE 
                                IN HAITI

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, January 13, 2014

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, yesterday, January 12, 2014, at 4:53 p.m. 
marked the fourth anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that 
rocked the island nation of Haiti, the poorest country in our 
hemisphere. Though much has been written about it, it is difficult to 
describe the devastation left by the quake. I travelled to Haiti soon 
after it struck and can scarcely describe it myself. Casualties 
numbered in the hundreds of thousands, and an even greater number of 
dwellings were destroyed. Haiti's already poor infrastructure was 
decimated.
   The international community did respond, with the U.S. leading the 
charge. Our initial disaster relief was nothing short of heroic, and 
prevented significant further harm in the days and weeks following . 
Relief eventually gave way to recovery and then reconstruction. Four 
years out, the U.S. remains heavily involved and engaged in the process 
of building Haiti back better.
   The Foreign Affairs Committee, where I am ranking member, has been 
active in this process. We commissioned a GAO report to give us an 
assessment on U.S. assistance, which found, among other things, that 
the administration was not providing sufficient information to the 
Congress to fulfill its oversight role. We then sent a bipartisan staff 
delegation to look into specific problems GAO found, and soon after 
held a full committee hearing on the matter.
   Capping that oversight process, this past December the House 
overwhelmingly agreed to bipartisan legislation to address some of 
these issues, and sent the bill to the Senate. The Assessing Progress 
in Haiti Act of 2013 is authored by a recognized champion advocating on 
behalf of the people of Haiti, Barbara Lee of California. It enjoys 
strong bipartisan support, such as from Foreign Affairs Chairman Royce. 
It seeks to fill the information gap by requiring the State Department 
to report on various aspects of our assistance program, and includes a 
Statement of Policy that articulates the direction we believe that 
assistance program should take.
   The reality is that a multi-year and multi-billion dollar 
commitment, borne of the generosity of the American people, calls for 
ongoing vigilance --- both in terms of accountability as well as policy 
direction, and I believe H.R. 3509 goes a significant way to achieve 
that goal.
   I intend to work with my colleagues in the Senate to see that this 
legislation becomes law in the next few months. I believe the Haitian 
people, who have endured more than their fair share of misery at the 
hands of this horrific natural disaster, deserve nothing less.

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