Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 6504, the Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act.

First, as all have done, I thank the distinguished gentleman from North Carolina, Dr. Murphy, for his leadership in bringing this bill to the floor and for his partnership because we worked closely together to try to make sure that Haiti is given an opportunity to alleviate the suffering of the people of Haiti.

I also, again, can't help but celebrate the legacy of the former chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means, Charlie Rangel, who championed meeting our moral responsibility to support stability and dignity for Haitians.

That is precisely what this bill does today. The Haiti Economic Lift Program Extension Act provides an economic lifeline to tens of thousands of Haitian families facing a gang-fueled humanitarian crisis that gets worse by the day.

The dire conditions on the ground in Haiti, driven by brutal, armed gangs, cannot be understated, and 1.4 million Haitians, over 10 percent of the country's population, are internally displaced. One-half of the country's population experiences life-threatening levels of hunger. Diseases such as cholera have spread as an increasing number of Haitians lack adequate access to drinking water, food, and healthcare.

Every family that is employed through the HOPE/HELP trade preference before us today for extension is a family less vulnerable to gang coercion, extortion, or recruitment.

There is no path to stability in Haiti without creating a foundation for economic opportunity. The HOPE/HELP program does exactly that. We simply cannot afford to abandon the thousands of Haitian families who depend on this program, nor the economic lift to our region that it will provide.

As the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Ms. Plaskett), knows best, because of her commitment to the Caribbean, this is a very important bill.

Lastly, let me say to Chairman Smith, who goes to the gym in the morning and for months said to me time and time again he will continue to work tirelessly until he gets this bill done: I thank him for doing this and doing it in a bipartisan way with Ranking Member Neal and others.

This is the way we can do good in the United States House of Representatives and good for people who are in need.

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