Charles T. Canady: “the repeated flip-flops in the Clinton administration's policy toward Haiti are no longer only an issue for front-page…”

“the repeated flip-flops in the Clinton administration's policy toward Haiti are no longer only an issue for front-page debate. The failure of this policy has now become a matter of critical personal concern for many veterans in Florida. You see, Mr. Speaker, many of the medical professionals employed at MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa have been moved to Guantanamo Bay to assist with the processing of Haitian refugees. In its haste to devise a plan to implement its most recent Haitian refugee policy, the Clinton administration decided to raid hospital staff from a facility used by many veterans. Veterans in my district report that their regular checkups have either been rebuffed at the door or canceled by phone. This is an outrage. Charles Gurey, a veteran from Brandon, FL, said it all: What irks me is, I'm having something taken away from me that I earned and it's being given to someone overseas. We need to be taken care of first and then the rest of the world. Mr. Gurey is right. He and all of west-central Florida's veterans deserve better. Put MacDill's medical professionals back where they belong: serving American veterans and active-duty personnel.”