The escalating fight over US assistance to Haiti ahead of Ruto’s visit
Kenyan President William Ruto’s trip to Washington this week is rejuvenating a fight between top Republican lawmakers and the Biden administration, who disagree on how to handle the worsening chaos unfolding in Haiti.
In a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday, obtained by POLITICO, House Foreign Affairs Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) and Senate Foreign Relations ranking member Jim Risch (R-Idaho) bashed the administration for approving a $60 million military aid package earlier this month, using the presidential drawdown authority to fast-track rifles, ammunition and armored vehicles to the island.
“The president’s unprecedented use of PDA in this context is extremely questionable,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter. “Plainly stated, the administration is rushing to fund an undefined and indefinite engagement in Haiti without Congressional approval.”
For months, McCaul and Risch have frustrated the Biden administration by blocking funds the White House says are necessary to bolster Kenyan forces deploying to Haiti to help quell rampant gang violence.
The Republicans have found themselves in a rare situation: Many left-leaning experts and advocates agree with the lawmakers, as they’re also opposed to Western intervention in Haiti. The Biden administration shouldn’t play a major role in solving Haiti’s crisis, they argue, given how past interventions have devastated the country.
“Prior international interventions over a long period of time in Haiti have been dismal failures, leaving the Haitian people worse off than before. We cannot use U.S. taxpayer dollars to support an open-ended, poorly conceived mission,” Risch told Blinken during a hearing on Tuesday.
There’s also growing concern that the U.S. support for Haiti could come at a cost for Ukraine, as the White House is also sending Kyiv equipment directly from Pentagon stockpiles. And no one is sure how long it will take to defeat the gangs — which are growing stronger and more influential by the day.
"Armed services are conducting internal inventory audits to see what they can spare for Haiti — which puts it in direct competition with Ukraine for materials,” said a GOP aide, granted anonymity to discuss private matters.
The State Department pushed back: The U.S. is “responding to multiple critical needs around the world, and the scenarios in Ukraine and Haiti are different,” said a State Department official, granted anonymity to discuss internal matters.
“Supporting the people of Haiti does not limit or take away from our ability to support the people of Ukraine,” the person added. “Both are important priorities and in each case, we identify support tailored to the needs of our partners.”
The first Kenyan forces are expected to arrive on the island on May 23, the same day Ruto will meet with top U.S. officials in Washington. While they’re expected to discuss the Biden administration’s increasingly precarious military situation in Africa’s Sahel region among other issues, Kenya’s new relationship with the U.S. due to the Haiti crisis will likely be a hot topic as well.
McCaul and Risch have been blocking funds the White House says are necessary to bolster Kenyan forces. Republicans question whether the U.S.-backed plan for Haiti will actually lead to success, as it doesn’t outline a specific timeline for the intervention or detail how much money the U.S. will dedicate to the mission. A State Department official previously told POLITICO there’s not “a concrete answer as to how long this would last.”
McCaul had a “productive meeting” with senior Biden administration officials on Tuesday about the Haiti situation, his office told POLITICO.
“There are still outstanding questions that were not answered. We will review them once we obtain those answers,” McCaul’s office said in a statement.
No group has put forward a surefire plan that would bring peace to Haiti in the near term, advocates say. The U.S.-backed plan is seen by numerous lawmakers on Capitol Hill as the best way forward, including those in the House Haiti Caucus.
On Tuesday, Sens. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.), told POLITICO that they introduced a resolution affirming Congress’ support for the mission to Haiti ahead of Ruto’s visit.
The trio hopes the mission will help strengthen the Haitian National Police in the short term and pave the way to fair elections in Haiti, which would then allow the nation to create a stable government free from gang rule.
While the mission could help stabilize Haiti, Murphy said in a statement, the U.S. and international partners “must also be committed to providing the long-term support and resources needed to put Haiti back on a path toward democratic governance.”
Kaine called on the Republicans to release the funding “so we can work with partners around the world to restore stability for the Haitian people and prevent another migrant crisis.”
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