US budget fights threaten Haiti security mission

Funding for a Kenyan-led multinational police force in Haiti comes as Republicans resist the Biden administration’s request for an additional $40 million to send troops to the Caribbean country where gang violence is rampant. It could become an unintended casualty of partisan budget battles on Capitol Hill.

Port-au-Prince is in turmoil, with Prime Minister Ariel Henry stepping down this week and the US government calling on Americans to leave the country.

The US has already committed $300 million to the Kenyan-led security force. The Biden administration asked Congress for an additional $50 million for the effort, but only $10 million of that was approved in December.

Democrats are now asking the House and Senate Foreign Relations committees to implement the remaining funds, but top Republicans on the committees have questioned the spending and its transparency.

“The human suffering and deepening crisis in Haiti is tragic. However, after years of discussion, repeated requests for information, and partial funding to support the plan, the government announced this afternoon that Now they’re finally sending us a rough plan to deal with this crisis,” said its chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas). Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said: joint statement on tuesday.

“Whether it is ‘reliable and practicable’ remains to be seen,” they continued. “Given the long history of U.S. involvement in Haiti with little success, the government has an obligation to provide Congress with more detailed information in a timely manner before receiving more funding.” be.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York painted a dire picture of security funding. letter He told House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) on Wednesday that it was necessary to respond to “both a human rights emergency and an immediate threat to the security and stability of the entire Western Hemisphere.”

“It has been many months since the Director took office.” [of State] Antony Blinken informed Chairman Michael McCaul of his support for the president. [security] Please try,” Jeffries said. I have written. “The situation on the ground in Haiti is rapidly deteriorating, and House Republicans are refusing to provide the resources necessary to accomplish this mission. Now is the time to release his full $50 million in security support. ”

Unable to return to Haiti due to violence at the country’s largest airport, Henry is stranded in Puerto Rico after visiting Kenya to formally establish his police duties.

He is a key supporter of the Kenyan security forces, which were formed by the United Nations Security Council last year but have since faced bureaucratic and legal hurdles.

An aide to the House Foreign Affairs Committee told The Hill that committees in both chambers are skeptical of the request for an additional $40 million and have no idea how the money will be used and how exactly it will solve the problem. He said the State Department was not transparent about how it would be used. instability in the country.

The aide said the committee is most concerned about logistics and effectiveness issues, as well as preventing an unending U.S. government-funded presence in Haiti.

In a statement to The Hill, the National Security Council (NSC) rejected McCall’s claims of lack of transparency.

“The administration has worked closely with our congressional partners to facilitate U.S. support for MSS.” [Multinational Security Support] “As we conduct our mission to Haiti, we have fully and frequently briefed Congress on all aspects related to the MSS mission,” an NSC spokesperson said.

“Given the positive momentum following the Haiti-led conference to establish the Interim Presidential Council, we call on Congress to work with us and lift the hold on funding for the MSS. “The Haitian people cannot wait,” they continued.

The State Department added that the Biden administration has held 68 briefings for members of Congress about security forces.

U.S. financial allocations for security missions increased from $200 million to $300 million on Monday, with the new funding coming from the State Department. Blinken also announced $33 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the country.

A senior State Department official told reporters on Tuesday that the $100 million would be used to directly compensate Kenya for its contributions through a yet-to-be-established United Nations trust. The remaining $200 million provided by the Pentagon will be used for on-the-ground expenses, such as building facilities and paying salaries, he said.

But an NSC spokesperson stressed that the $40 million withheld by Congress remains critical to the mission.

But beyond funding, the initiative faces questions over its legal authority in Kenya, including whether the 400 trained Kenyan law enforcement officers will even be allowed to leave their home country. It remains unknown.

Sending troops to Haiti, if allowed to do so, raises its own problems. Just getting personnel and equipment to the Caribbean country poses its own challenges, as airports have been closed to international flights for weeks due to violence in the region.

Growing doubts among authorities, logistics and financing have led some to question whether this massive undertaking will even be carried out at all.

“It could be blocked in the Kenyan courts. It could be blocked in the U.S. House of Representatives, and it looks like we need the money to move forward with this,” said Brian Concannon, executive director of the Haitian Institute for Justice and Democracy. said.

Despite the delays, the State Department said there were no concerns about security plans.

“In conversations with Kenyan officials, both sides emphasized the importance of moving to deployment as quickly as possible,” the official said. “We are confident that the mission will move forward, and Kenyan officials have said in every conversation that they intend to move forward.”

—Contributed by Rafael Bernal.