WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement after Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced he approved additional funding to support Haiti as it tries to create a transition government.
“After three years without an elected government, and facing one of the worst security and humanitarian crises in the country’s history, there is finally hope for Haiti. The international community — through the Biden Administration's leadership – stands ready to mobilize personnel, resources, and funding to support the deployment of a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support Mission (MSS) to help the Haitian National Police (HNP) reestablish order and security.
“While I strongly believe in the Committee’s prerogatives to conduct oversight over how taxpayer funds are used, I can understand the exceptional and dire circumstances on the ground in Haiti that necessitated Secretary Blinken's decision to move forward in releasing urgently needed funds to the MSS and HNP.
“Without the immediate deployment of the MSS, Haiti risks becoming a failed state a mere 800 miles from our shores. Supporting the MSS is the right course both for the Haitian people and for U.S. national interests, and I look forward to continuing to work with the State Department to conduct oversight over the MSS and ensure it avoids the pitfalls of previous international interventions in Haiti.”
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