[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 16]
[House]
[Page 22598]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       HAITI AND FUNDING FROM THE INTER-AMERICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK

  (Ms. LEE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. LEE. Mr. Speaker, I rise to urge the United States to lift its 
block on approved loans by the Inter-American Development Bank to 
Haiti.
  Haiti is now in the midst of a political impasse that began months 
after the May, 2000 elections, and has become a national crisis. The 
United States has since blocked foreign assistance, as well as 
international financial institutions' funding for Haiti.
  Meanwhile, a severe humanitarian disaster looms large over the 
population of 8 million people, including a devastating HIV/AIDS 
pandemic, extreme poverty, and high infant mortality rates.
  We must address this injustice. The people of Haiti need our support. 
Our country can help alleviate human suffering in this country in the 
Western Hemisphere. We must release these approved loans. They are not 
grants, mind you, but they are loans to Haiti.

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