Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 1886, Pakistan Enduring Assistance And Cooperation Enhancement Act Of 2009, And Providing For Consideration Of H.R. 2410, Foreign Relations Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 2010 And 2011

Floor Speech

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Ms. CLARKE. I thank my colleague, the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Hastings).

Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2410, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act. This authorization includes provisions that keep our country safe, that advance human rights, and that promote gender equality across the globe.

In the 110th Congress, I introduced H. Res. 1504 in response to a 2007 report by the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime and the World Bank, linking drug trafficking to rising crime rates in Caribbean nations.

The measure calls for increased cooperation between the U.S. and Caribbean officials to combat drug trafficking and promote counterterrorism. CARICOM, made up of 15 countries, including Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Jamaica, serves as our Nation's third border. Drug traffickers and criminals use these nations as transit points en route to the United States, making us less safe and contributing to a deterioration of the human welfare and social and economic development of those nations. This authorization acknowledges this problem and authorizes the President to incorporate CARICOM into the Merida Initiative. This will provide CARICOM with the technical and logistical support needed to combat drug trafficking and promote counterterrorism.

Also included in this authorization is the enactment of the Shirley A. Chisholm Educational Exchange Program. I was an original cosponsor of the stand-alone bill, H.R. 416. This program provides scholarships for CARICOM students to study at American colleges and universities and requires that, upon program completion, participants either return to the CARICOM or seek a job that directly benefits CARICOM nations and their people. This exchange program will create a safe and economically vibrant Caribbean Basin and keep us safe here at home.

The authorization also includes language that creates the Office of Women's Global Affairs with the fully empowered ambassador-at-large. According to the Center for Development and Population Activities, gender equality is essential for development, democracy, and global progress.

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