Letter
Letter in Support of the Haiti Empowerment
Letter from Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, Chairman, Committee on International Justice and Peace and Ken Hackett, President, Catholic Relief Services in Support of the Haiti Empowerment, Assistance, and Rebuilding Act, S.3317, June 1, 2010
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and Catholic Relief Services support the thrust of the ‘‘Haiti Empowerment, Assistance, and Rebuilding Act” (S 3317) which you have introduced and the Committee has marked up. We welcome your initiative to make aid to Haiti predictable for the next five years and to create a general policy framework for aid. The bill represents an important initiative to help Haiti recover, and we hope the legislation will be strengthened further by amendments providing more explicit emphases on agricultural and rural development and engagement of Haitian civil society.
In an earlier letter to the Administration, USCCB urged a substantial and sustained commitment by the U.S. government to provide long-term funding for reconstruction and poverty reduction in Haiti and called for a coherent strategy that coordinates different U.S. government agencies in a comprehensive approach, while engaging others with expertise and experience with Haiti. Your legislation addresses these needs. This integrated strategy included extension and improvement of the trade preferences through the Haiti Economic Lift Program Act, which is awaiting the President’s approval, and debt relief for Haiti, which is in the FY 10 Supplemental Appropriations Act.