Republican lawmakers holding up funding for Haiti

WASHINGTON, CMC – Republican lawmakers on Friday said the Biden administration “owes Congress a lot more details in a more timely manner before it gets more funding,” for Haiti, even as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday warned that the French-speaking CARICOM country continues to face a political and humanitarian crisis.

Representatives Michael McCaul, Republican chairman of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Senator Jim Risch, the top Republican on Senate Foreign Relations, outlined their position in a joint statement as Washington was on the verge of announcing more humanitarian aid for Haiti.

“Given the long history of US involvement in Haiti with few successful results, the administration owes Congress a lot more details in a more timely manner before it gets more funding,” the two Republican legislators said in their joint statement.

Blinken, who is on a visit to Austria, told reporters that most of the parties for Haiti's transition council have named their representatives.

On Monday, Guyana's  President and CARICOM chairman, Dr Irfaan Ali, told reporters in Jamaica that an agreement had been reached that would allow for Prime Minister Ariel Henry to step down and for a transitional governance arrangement “which paves the way for a peaceful transition of power, continuity of governance and action plan for near term security and the road to free and fair elections”.

Ali said that it was also agreed that there would be the creation of a transitional presidential council comprised of seven voting members and two voting observers.

Those with votes include the 'Pitit Desalin' party headed by Jean-Charles Moise, the EDE party of former prime minister Charles Joseph; the Fanmi Lavalas party; the December 21 coalition led by Henry; the Montana Accord group; and members of the private sector.

The non-voting members will be represented by one member from civil society and one member of the interfaith community.

But, Moise said his party and allies have completely rejected the proposed seven-member council outlined by CARICOM and said that  “our three -member council will soon be installed by any means necessary”.

The US State Department said it expected that members of the transition council would be appointed this week and Blinken told reporters “this is never going to be smooth and never going to be linear.

“So that's a work in progress, but we've seen that move forward,” Blinken said.

Head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Samantha Power was set to announce US$25 million in humanitarian assistance for Haiti on Friday, including for immediate food assistance, essential relief supplies, relocation support and emergency health care.

On Monday, Blinken, who had travelled to Jamaica for the high-level meeting on Haiti, used the occasion to announce a US$33 million humanitarian package for Haiti.

On Friday, Blinken said an international force to tackle the spiralling violence in Haiti was moving forward, but added that there are challenges.

“Once the new council is fully stood up – and again, I would anticipate that happens in the coming days – that process with the force will be able to move forward and then we have a trajectory that has at least the chance of putting Haiti in a more stable place,” Blinken said.

“Having said all of that, every single day there are challenges to that process. There are political challenges, there are security challenges, and we're working to address them.”

A scheduled virtual press briefing on Friday with USAID Deputy Administrator for Policy and Programming, Isobel Coleman and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Caribbean Affairs and Haiti, Barbara A Feinstein, was cancelled without no explanation.

The news conference was intended “to discuss the United States government's commitment to address the humanitarian needs of the Haitian people, encourage implementation of the Haitian-led political transition, and support a Multinational Security Support (MSS) Mission in Haiti”.

Kenya had signed an agreement with Prime Minister Henry earlier this month, allowing for a United Nations Security Council sanctioned international force led by the African country to restore peace and security in his troubled country.

But the two Republican legislators said that President Biden's administration had only sent them a “rough plan” to address the crisis. They said also that they have concerns over whether Kenyan courts would allow the deployment and whether the force could get to Port-au-Prince.

On Thursday, US State Department spokesman, Mathew Miller, said Washington would be providing US$300 million to support the Multinational Security Support Mission.

The spokesman said that of the US$300 million, US$200 million of that is from the Pentagon; US$100 million is from the State Department.

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