[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 184 (Wednesday, December 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H6804-H6805]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 HAITIAN SECURITY AND ECONOMIC SUPPORT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. PLASKETT. Mr. Speaker, I rise today and speak on behalf of so 
many individuals, who do not have the ability to speak, to address a 
crisis in our hemisphere and a significant threat to American regional 
stability, our neighbor to the south and our ally from the inception of 
this country's birth, Haiti.
  The elected government of Haiti collapsed some time ago, leaving 
gangs in control of the capital and raining chaos down upon the Haitian 
people.
  Although Haiti holds the distinction of being the first republic of 
people of African descent and one of the oldest nations in the 
Americas, Haiti faces a significant and ongoing humanitarian crisis, 
overwhelmed by gangs that systematically endanger its democratic 
process.
  Don't be fooled that this does not affect the United States. The 
persistent failed state situation is an open opportunity for America's 
adversaries to destabilize the Caribbean region and undermine the 
security of neighboring nations. We are seeing the outlines of malign 
actors, including those with whom we are in global competition.

  Since President Jovenel Moise's assassination more than 3 years ago, 
gangs seized complete control, creating a humanitarian catastrophe that 
has left more than 12,000 people dead and forced nearly 800,000 from 
their homes. More than 5,000 people in Haiti have been killed by the 
gangs alone this year.
  Just last weekend, more than 180 people were killed in Haiti's 
capital, Port-au-Prince, as part of a multiday slaughter that was the 
result of a gang leader massacring older people and those he believed 
practiced Vodou as a personal vendetta to avenge his son's grave 
illness.
  Without immediate support, the crisis in Haiti will worsen, the 
criminal network will expand, and Americans will suffer the 
consequences.
  Haiti's Caribbean neighbors do not have the infrastructure or the 
capacity to accommodate this continued influx of refugees, which has 
seen hundreds of thousands of Haitian migrants at their borders seeking 
a safer place to live.
  The Multinational Security Support Mission, led largely by officers 
from Kenya, has never received the support it needs to make an impact 
in the fight for the security and stability in Haiti. The mission is 
currently undermanned and underfunded. Many of our closest allies are 
not close to meeting their pledged obligations, nor have we in Congress 
given the resources that we said to advance the peace and prosperity of 
that nation.
  In particular, let me single out France. Where is France?
  Haiti has long suffered from the legacy of slavery and colonialism 
and the exploitation of resources by France. Upon winning a revolution, 
France, with our acquiescence, forced Haiti to pay $28 billion as a 
debt for their freedom and lost revenues from slavery. France enslaved 
and trafficked those people, extracted many mountains of wealth from 
Haiti, and kept taking from the Haitian people long after those people 
had achieved their personal emancipation and national freedom from the 
country of France.

                              {time}  1015

  The nation of Haiti, with its past, current, and ongoing humanitarian 
crises, is a testament to the tragedy of that wealth extraction.
  I urge our allies to join us in providing meaningful financial 
support, especially France, to advance stability and allow the people 
of Haiti to prosper. As I said earlier, the instability in Haiti is not 
only of humanitarian crisis, but a threat to our national security.
  Our adversaries have already set their sights on expanding their 
reach to the United States' third border in the Caribbean. The 
continued expansion of Russian and Chinese influence, as well as 
military support in the region, threatens our national security, our 
prosperity, and our democratic values.
  Depending on what Congress does or does not do will be what will 
happen to Haiti. The reauthorization of HOPE/HELP trade preference 
program will keep providing economic opportunities for Haiti.
  The apparel sector is one of the last formal sectors of Haiti's 
economy and represents nearly 80 percent of Haiti's exports. They used 
to have 60,000 jobs in this area which have now dropped to 25,000.
  Congress must act. We as Americans must act, if not just for the 
Haitian people, then for our own security.

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