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 on 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 told reporters that most of the parties for Haiti’s transition council have named their representatives.

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 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.