Chris Dodd: “I share with my colleagues briefly the situation in Haiti. This is one of the most desperate countries in the world, a…”

“I share with my colleagues briefly the situation in Haiti. This is one of the most desperate countries in the world, a few miles from our shore. There has been pending over the last 2 years a $500 million request through the Inter-American Development Bank. The United States of America, and several of its allies, are holding up the disbursement of these funds to one of the poorest countries in the world. Seven million people in that country are suffering incredibly. It is being held up over a question of whether or not institutions in that nation are as strong as they ought to be, whether or not there is corruption, and whether or not the elections that occurred in 2000 were fair, open, and honest. I am not going to argue about any of that. There is corruption. The agencies, administration, and structures are very weak. The elections in 2000 had major flaws in them. I am not arguing about that, either. But for the strongest, wealthiest nation in the world, that stands 90 to 100 miles away from one of the poorest nations in the world, and to have us deny Inter-American Development Bank funds, through our power and influence, to reach these desperately poor, dying people, where life expectancy is age 53, where there are problems with malaria, diarrhea, and tremendous hardship--polio has reemerged on this island-- I think is terribly wrong.”