Congressional Republicans Block Aid to Haiti Amid Unrest

Republicans have refused to release $40 million in security assistance and questioned how it would be used and whether it could fall into the hands of the gangs stoking the upheaval.

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Haitian National Police on guard earlier in March after hundreds of inmates escaped in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Congressional Republicans are blocking $40 million in aid that the Biden administration has requested to help stabilize Haiti amid an increase in gang violence there, despite warnings that continued chaos could lead to a humanitarian crisis and drive migrants fleeing the country into the United States.

The top Republicans on the House and Senate foreign affairs committees, which have approval power over the money, have pressed the State Department to detail how it will be spent. They have expressed concern that American taxpayer dollars could fall into the hands of the groups that have led the violent uprising.

The State Department requested the funding last year as part of $100 million it had pledged for a multinational security support mission in Haiti, approved by the United Nations Security Council, to be led by Kenya. The Kenyan government agreed to deploy security forces into Haiti while other countries, including the United States, offered funding, equipment and logistical support.

Another $100 million was to come from the Defense Department. The foreign aid portion requires approval by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee.

But Republicans in Congress balked at the administration’s initial $50 million request, which a G.O.P. aide for the House panel said was a single page and did contain specific information regarding its use. Despite concerns, they agreed to release $10 million in December for costs already incurred since the mission was approved but withheld the remaining $40 million, demanding a more detailed plan about how it would be allocated.

Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the senior Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, said it was not clear whether agreements established under former Prime Minister Ariel Henry of Haiti, who resigned amid the upheaval, are still valid, or how the mission hopes to safely get international forces into the country.

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