Political Quotes

“I thank my friend for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act introduced by my friend, the ranking member, Mr. Meeks of New York, to place international pressure on elites in Haiti who have exacerbated and benefited from widespread instability of violence in that turbulent country. Nearly one-half of the country's population, close to 5 million Haitians, face acute hunger today. Haitians face drastic food, fuel, and medical equipment shortages. Cholera outbreaks are now widespread not far from our shore, and gangs dominate the Haitian economy and daily life through corruption, extortion, and brutal violence. In fact, the Haitian National Police and Haitian politicians are so compromised by gangs that lawlessness and instability are the new norm. Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Meeks for keeping our attention on Haiti. The situation is, as he said, dire. The only way we will start helping Haiti root out corruption is to create a cost for those among the Haitian elite who benefit from crime and corruption. A little over a century ago, U.S. soldiers landed on Haiti's shores to stabilize a country in upheaval following the assassination of a Haitian President.…”