PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti – Congressman Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL) was in Haiti on Sunday and Monday, and met with Haitian President René Préval to discuss the rising price of food there and ways to provide humanitarian assistance to the Haitian people.
Congressman Meek was the first Member of Congress to travel to Haiti since unrest broke out in Haiti over two weeks ago.
Meek also discussed efforts with business leaders to create more jobs in Haiti by extending trade preferences to the island nation. Meek is strongly promoting the Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act of 2008 (HOPE II Act) in Congress. The HOPE II Act will enable the Haitian textile and garment industry to expand their production capabilities and hire more Haitian workers by opening up the U.S. marketplace to Haitian exports.
Rep. Meek also met with World Bank officials to discuss a $10 million grant for Haiti. He also held meetings with U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Janet Sanderson, as well as development and aid agencies.
“After my trip to Haiti, I can report that food is getting to the island, but it’s not getting to the majority of Haitian people who cannot afford paying such high prices for basic food items,” said Rep. Meek. “Eighty-percent of Haiti’s population lives on less than two dollars a day, and they are the victims of this tragedy. The price of cooking oil rose 107% over the past year and most Haitians cannot afford that price increase. I am in contact with the highest levels of the U.S. government to ensure that humanitarian aid will reach the hungry in Haiti.”
Haiti’s President René Préval and Congressman Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL)
Congressman Meek also renewed calls for the international community to provide immediate debt relief to the Haitian government. This year, Haiti will send $48.7 million in debt payments to multilateral financial institutions. “That money would be better spent on providing clean water, healthcare and education to the Haitian people,” Meek said.
The leaders also talked about the loss of life this weekend when a makeshift vessel carrying Haitian citizens capsized off the coast of the Bahamas. “I offered my condolences to President Préval on behalf of the American people. The journey by sea from Haiti in search of a better life in the United States is a dangerous one that often results in tragedy – it is a voyage that I highly discourage.”
President Préval and Congressman Meek also renewed their support for granting Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a temporary immigration status granted to Haitian immigrants in the United States. In February, Congressman Meek along with Congressman Hastings (D-FL) wrote President Bush in support of granting TPS to Haitians, stating: “We feel that Haiti’s ongoing political and economic struggles and the extraordinary destruction caused by several natural disasters more than qualifies Haitian nationals who are already in the United States for TPS.”
