To accelerate the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti.

Let me thank, first of all, the chairman of the Africa Subcommittee and Global Health Committee of the Foreign Affairs, Mr. Payne. There is no doubt of his recounting of the enormous history that has been involved around Haiti, but also the track record of the Congressional Black Caucus. So let me continue my remarks, and I will yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I note on this Congressional Black Caucus hour that two of our members have come to the floor: the chairwoman, the Honorable Barbara Lee, and the member from California, chairwoman of the Financial Services Committee and recent returnee from Haiti, Maxine Waters.

So I will just recount, as the chairman just did, Chairman Payne, a lot of the work that we have done here in the United States. But also, in case many wonder why we are continuing this effort and why we have made a commitment as members of the Congressional Black Caucus to never give up and to never give out on Haiti and to view this as a long-term recovery and restoration is because the damage is so devastating. This reflects the early stages of the collapse of whole neighborhoods, literally the collapse of Port-au-Prince, and the devastating disaster that the people still face.

Today, as we are looking at recovery, there are Haitians lifting stones by hand, one by one, to remove some of the debris that is already there. Knowing that between 150,000 to 200,000 are known or expected dead, we know that behind this rubble there are lost loved ones who have yet to be accounted for. Some 4,000 Americans are unaccounted for. U.N. workers are unaccounted for. And so when we talk about this today or next week or maybe in March or in April, maybe in June, you will understand the magnitude of devastation.

I know that many of us can recall briefly the earthquake around northern California and San Francisco and Oakland. We remembered a baseball game that was either in session or not, one of the more stark earthquakes, and remember the response, the fear, the stopping of the game, the damage. But this was a 7.0 on the Richter scale. And to see all of the beauty of this island destroyed, all of the history. This is one of the islands that has some of the greatest history that one could imagine and people who are proud. This is where people live now. This is where our children live. This is where babies are born, on the streets of Port-au-Prince and elsewhere.

So we are not here for a reason that is made up. We are here because, as we speak, these are the homes of people who are living in a devastating condition. No, this was not a rich nation, but people worked every day. They wanted to provide for their families. They were not interested in handouts. They wanted to build their nation. Now, today, unlike we have ever experienced, we can see the overwhelming devastation here in Haiti. And, again, the tragedy is, who is still not found?

So I rise today to comment on the question: Why is America responding and why is the Congressional Black Caucus a conscience of that response?

Today, we were able to hear from the newly appointed USAID administrator as invited by the chairwoman, Barbara Lee, and attended by forty-plus members of the Congressional Black Caucus, tightly fitting in a room, listening intently to how we can move this tragedy forward and helping the people.

America is responding. We will continue to respond with immediate humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island to rebuild their livelihood. There is still no estimate of death or destruction, but the damage to buildings is extensive, and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands. We can already see that this is a continuing example.

We look forward to Haitians helping themselves. The United States Government has already contributed $402 million in earthquake response funding for Haiti and has already deployed approximately 17,000 in military personnel, somewhat like the military personnel that was in Hurricane Katrina.

This is not an effort to remove the sovereignty of Haiti, and we are working very closely with President Preval, and we understand the sovereignty of this nation-state and we respect its leadership. And so we are moving quickly toward a Government of Haiti-led effort. The U.N. World Food Program will provide commodities, nongovernmental organizations will manage distributions, and U.S. military will provide security escorts, but it will be led by the Haitian Government.

America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive interagency response to the earthquake, and we believe it is important, as we mentioned today, that there be one general of all of these agencies: the State Department, Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Coast Guard, and, of course, USAID. There has to be a way of organizing this effort.

I am very pleased to make note of the fact that in the meeting I made a request to the USAID administrator to respond to all of the churches that have been calling Members of Congress and calling the State Department, all of the faith community, churches, parishes, mosques, and others, and synagogues and other houses of faith who want to help. The USAID administrator indicated that they would appoint a faith liaison to be able to work with all of the religious bodies in order for them to do the right thing.

Right as we stand here today, there are a group of religious persons who are now held by the Haitian Government. To our knowledge, they are still there. Their representation was that they wanted to help the children. I don't disregard that fact. I am sure that there were good intentions. But we know, in the protection of these children, we must have order. We must have a regulation, regular order, if you

will. There must be a process of giving relief and helping these children who are now orphaned. And the Haitian people love their children.

So I am looking for ways of temporarily deploying children for medical help. There must be an airlift for the second stage of surgeries that these children with broken arms and legs and bodily injury and gangrene have the ability to come for temporary care.

But we cannot have an irregular process of people going forward to try to secure these children. We want to help these religious leaders, who we believe had wonderful and good intentions. There are those in my community who have reached out to me to try and help them. But as we help them, we have to make sure that there is a precise way of dealing with the children.

Within days of last week's devastation, the Southern Command deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts. There are many from around the world that are helping, and there are many who are working individually.

So I would make the point that we want to continue working with our faith community. When you hear us, there is a reason. They are in need for more resources. There is clearly a need of a long-term recovery and building Haiti against this kind of devastation. And yes, I will continue to work to secure and protect the children of Haiti.

I close by yielding to the gentlelady by saying this. Allow me to thank the diaspora, all of the Haitian Americans all over the Nation. Let me particularly thank, with a heavy, heavy emphasis on their dedication, the Haitian American community in Houston, Texas, and all of the help that they have done. We look forward to them being able to go home to check on their relatives and to be of help. And let me thank the medical doctors of the Texas Medical Center, and two airplanes, doctors and nurses that I was able to secure to come down to Haiti and help within 48 hours of the earthquake. Let me make note of the Houston Rotarians as well, who are there to be of help. We will not give up on the people of Haiti and the nation of Haiti.

I rise today in order to highlight America's humanitarian response to the earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12th--just over 3 weeks ago. I want to commend each agency involved in the humanitarian response.

As you know, on Tuesday, January 12th, a massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. There is still no official estimate of death or destruction, but the damage to buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

America is responding, and will continue to respond with immediate humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island nation rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people and government of Haiti as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a natural disaster. As Haiti's neighbor, I believe it is the United States responsibility to help Haiti recover, and build the capacity to mitigate against future disasters.

To date, the United States Government has contributed nearly $402 million in earthquake response funding for Haiti. It has also deployed approximately 17,000 military personnel in support of the relief effort. Subsequently, as part of the new Government of Haiti-lead effort, the U.N. World Food Program will provide commodities, nongovernmental organizations will manage distributions, and U.S. Military will provide security escorts.

America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive, interagency response to the earthquake. The State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, USAID--all worked overnight to ensure critical resources were positioned to support the response and recovery effort, including efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti.

Within days of the devastating earthquake, U.S. Southern Command deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts in the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in the western hemisphere. The team included U.S. military engineers, operational planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists arriving on two C-130 Hercules aircraft. Since, there has been a tremendous interagency response with support and partnering with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and international officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow-on U.S. military support.

Our friends in the international community must also be commended for their efforts. The United Nations is releasing $10 million from its emergency funds. The European Commission has approved C3 million ($4.37 million) with more funds likely. Countless other nations from Germany, to China, to Israel to Mexico to have also pledged support. I commend each of these nations for coming to our neighboring nation in dire need of assistance.

Many of my constituents have asked what they can do to help, or how they can find their loved ones. Those who are interested in helping immediately can text ``HAITI'' to ``90999'' and a donation of $10 will be made automatically to the Red Cross for relief efforts. The donation will be charged to your cell phone bill.

The outpouring of support and funding from the American people was both instant and sustained. According to the Washington Post, the text messaging effort raised $5 million in its first day, breaking the previous one-day record of about $450,000. Text-message donations continue to play a larger-than-expected role in the push for earthquake relief in Haiti. As of late Sunday, the American Red Cross said that it had collected pledges of about $103 million, including $22 million through the text donation program. Each donor should be proud of their contribution to help their brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Financially, 2009 was not an easy year for many Americans. Although thousands of jobs were created and we are back on the road to economic recovery, Americans lived on tighter budgets than usual. On January 20th, Congress passed H.R. 4462 which accelerated the income tax benefits for charitable cash contributions for the relief of victims of the earthquake in Haiti. This legislation will allow those Americans who have generously donated money to Haiti to receive their tax break this year instead of next year.

In January of 2005, Congress enacted this type of relief for individuals that made charitable contributions to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in late December of 2004. That bill (H.R. 241 in the 109th Congress) passed the House of Representatives without objection and subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I hope that this legislation, like our response to the 2004 tsunami, will encourage Americans to contribute more money to Haiti. As Haiti starts on its long recovery, every dollar is critically important. Americans have responded in great numbers, and I am proud to represent such a compassionate and generous nation.

Americans are not only giving their money, they are also giving their time and expertise as well. Immediately after the earthquake, I arranged for a team of seven doctors, six nurses, two techs, and two search and rescue volunteers to fly to Haiti and provide immediate humanitarian support. This team led by Dr. Richard Toussaint from Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas, Texas arrived in Haiti just after noon on Saturday. From there, the doctors made their way to Hospital SacreCouer where, in roughly two days, they performed about 70 amputations, surgically treated about 150 patients, and saw about 600 patients total. I commend this team of medical personnel for their selfless actions and willingness to spend their own time and money to come to the aid of people they had never met.

Additionally, I hosted a Houston-based Haiti relief effort called ``Texans helping Haitians'' with city leadership and the Haitian community in the aftermath of this horrible disaster. Groups included in the effort to provide supplies and medical assistance to Haiti were: Texas Medical Center, Texas Dental Association, Search and Rescue Organizations, the Haitian Multicultural Association, Haitian Caribbean Organization of Texas, Caribbean Impact Foundation, and Haiti Counts.

I also helped coordinate the safe return of six Houston Rotarians that were stranded in the mountains and we are now working with Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance on the transport of orphans to awaiting families here in the U.S.

Recently, I proposed a plan that would increase the ability of the U.S. to assist Haiti in its efforts toward reconstruction and stabilization to Dr. Rajiv Shah, the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

This plan would create an oversight position within the USAID that would coordinate and regulate faith-based and non-profit organizations operating in the reconstruction efforts in Haiti. I also recommended the creation of a U.S. civilian corps, an extension of the American Peace Corps, that would be tasked the specific mission of assisting reconstruction efforts in Haiti. This civilian entity would serve as a supplemental contingent which could be incrementally dispatched as needed by U.S. Government agencies or nongovernment organizations.

Once again I stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti and will do everything in my power to assist them with rebuilding their country and livelihoods.

I will be happy to yield to the gentlelady from California to manage the rest of the time.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members be given 5 legislative days to enter and extend their remarks in the Record on this topic.

I appreciate the opportunity to anchor this Special Order hour for the Congressional Black Caucus, the CBC. Currently, the CBC is chaired by the Honorable Barbara Lee from the Ninth Congressional District of California. My name is Representative Marcia L. Fudge, and I represent the 11th Congressional District of Ohio.

CBC members are advocates for human rights and equality, nationally and internationally. Our members have played a significant role as local and regional activists, and continue to work diligently to be the conscience of the Congress.

As Members of Congress, CBC members also promote legislation to aid neglected citizens throughout the world. We understand that the United States, as a bellwether, has the ability to positively impact our neighbors abroad. This is why tonight we turn our attention to the grave situation in Haiti after last month's devastating earthquake.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my colleague and friend from the great State of New York, Representative Clarke.

Thank you very much.

I just want to, as well, thank you for your passion on this issue and for all of the work that you have done, as you say, representing one of the largest Haitian-American groups in this country. So I would like to say thank you for all of us members of the CBC.

Mr. Speaker, as members of the CBC, we extend our deepest sympathy and our support to the people of Haiti. The nation, of course, recently experienced the largest recorded earthquake in its history. On January 12, the quake devastated many parts of the country, including the capital of Port-au-Prince. To put the earthquake in some kind of scale, it had a magnitude of 7.0 and a series of strong aftershocks. There have been at least 52 aftershocks at 4.5 magnitude or above. The damage is severe and catastrophic.

The government of Haiti is reporting an estimated 112,000 deaths and 194,000 injured. The New York Times reports that 225,000 homes were severely damaged or collapsed, and nearly one-third of the country's population are currently at risk of long-term displacement and vulnerability.

In total, it is estimated that 3 million people have been negatively affected by the earthquake.

In the immediate wake of the earthquake, Haiti's President Rene Garcia Preval described conditions in his country as unimaginable and appealed for international assistance. Humanitarian assistance from the United States and from all over the world has been generous.

The United States in the first two weeks following the earthquake sent aid workers focused in three areas. First, these workers immediately searched for survivors and provided rescue assistance. Teams with heavy-lifting equipment, medical equipment, and triage supplies were moved into the country. Volunteers next addressed Haitians' critical needs for food, clean water, and sanitation, medical assistance, and emergency shelter. And thirdly, they provided emergency relief experts to set up infrastructure and logistics operations.

Numerous Americans have provided donations to fund these efforts. Also, the Congressional Black Caucus joined President Obama in calling for continued financial aid for Haiti's quake survivors. The sheer scale of the relief effort in Haiti has brought together a tremendous capacity and a willingness to help.

The massive humanitarian relief operation underway in Haiti has been hampered by a number of significant challenges, including a general lack of transportation, extremely limited communication systems, and damaged infrastructure. The relief effort is expected to last for many, many months and recovery and reconstruction will begin as soon as possible.

President Barack Obama assembled heads of U.S. agencies to begin working immediately on a coordinated response to this disaster. The U.S. Agency For International Development, better known as USAID, through the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, is the lead agency within the U.S. Government responding to this disaster.

On January 14, the administration announced $100 million in humanitarian assistance to Haiti to meet the immediate needs on the ground. The Department of Homeland Security has temporarily halted the deportation of Haitians and granted temporary protective status for 18 months to Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010.

President Obama has pledged an aggressive coordinated effort by the U.S. Government. The State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, and USAID have already mobilized to ensure that critical resources are positioned to support the response-and-recovery effort, including efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have proactively engaged to facilitate aid to Haiti.

Recently, I joined my colleagues in the House of Representatives to unanimously pass H.R. 4462. The resolution would allow individuals who made charitable contributions to those in Haiti to claim an itemized charitable deduction on their 2009 tax return instead of waiting until next year. The legislation also allows those who made donations via text message to use phone bills as proof of donation.

I was proud to be an original cosponsor of this bipartisan legislation. Representative Meek coordinated a letter to Speaker Pelosi, Minority Leader Boehner, Appropriations Chairman Obey, and Appropriations Ranking Member Lewis requesting robust emergency funding to assist Haiti.

Immediate U.S. assistance to Haiti in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake is vital to support stability in that very fragile country. Representative Maxine Waters is introducing a bill to require the Treasury Department to cancel Haiti's debts. The government of Haiti cannot afford to invest in humanitarian relief, reconstruction, and development efforts while continuing to make payments on debts owed to multilateral financial institutions like the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank.

Even before the earthquake, debt service payments to these institutions were a tremendous burden that interfered with the ability of the government of Haiti to meet the needs of its people.

The bill requires Secretary Geithner to support three specific actions that should be a part of the international community's response to this very, very terrible tragedy. The first is the complete cancellation of all remaining debts owed by Haiti to multilateral financial institutions; secondly, the suspension of Haiti's debt service payments to these institutions until such time as the debts are canceled; and thirdly, the provision of additional assistance to Haiti in the form of grants so that the country does not accumulate additional debts.

Representative Meek, in coordination with Chairman Skelton and Representative Mack, have introduced a resolution to commemorate the efforts of the United States Armed Forces, of local first responders, and other members of Operation Unified Response for their swift and coordinated action in response to the earthquake in Haiti. I am proud to say I have supported each of these initiatives.

There has been an outpouring of international support for Haiti. The first priority has been saving lives. That means getting water, food, shelter, medicine, and other basic supplies to victims. Beyond the essentials are issues of security and debt repayments, both of which can undermine rebuilding efforts. The United Nation's Secretary General Ban Ki-moon sought approval from the Security Council to send an additional 3,500 security officers to Haiti. The officers are needed both to maintain public order and to

guard deliveries of food and aid. So far, violence has been scattered, but fears of violence grow as the difficulties of living without water, food, and shelter mount.

As World Bank President Robert Zolick has said, outside support should be in the form of grants. Through grants, money can be appropriated according to goals and capacity while easing Haiti's debt burden. For example, Haiti owes about $38 million to the World Bank. Mr. Zolick, however, announced that no debt repayments would be due for the next 5 years, and the World Bank is seeking to cancel all of Haiti's remaining debt owed to it.

Many relief organizations are accepting donations to send to Haitians. Cash donations are the most efficient and effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti right now. They allow humanitarian organizations to purchase--often within the affected region itself--the exact type and quantity of items needed by those affected by the crisis.

You can find organizations and ways to help through the White House's Web site, which is www.whitehouse.gov or visit the U.S. Agency for International Development's Web site at www.usaid.gov, which has a list of nongovernmental organizations and instructions on how to help.

Mr. Speaker, Haiti is the world's first black-led republic and the first Caribbean state to achieve independence, in 1804. Haiti is still plagued by violent confrontations between rival gangs and political groups. Current President Rene Preval won the presidential election in February 2006 with 51 percent of the vote.

Haiti's serious underlying social problem, the wealth gap between the impoverished Creole-speaking majority and the French-speaking minority--1 percent of whom own nearly half of the country's wealth-- remains unresolved.

Even prior to the earthquake, Haiti's infrastructure had all but collapsed and drug trafficking has become a major problem.

Today, Haiti is the poorest, least developed country in the Western Hemisphere and prior to the earthquake was ranked 149 out of 182 countries on the United Nations Human Development Index.

We've all seen the pictures on the TV of the children of Haiti. It is heartbreaking. We all recognize the urgent need for assistance to the smallest of the earthquake's victims. The outpouring of sympathy has led many to consider adopting a Haitian child. However, Mr. Speaker, the U.S. State Department recently announced that new adoption applications are not being processed. At this time, the main priority is reuniting children with their families. The process of determining whether a child is an orphan is a long and complicated one. The recent adoptions that have been processed were Haitian children who had previously been matched and cleared for entry into the United States.

Since last week, the U.N. Children's Fund, UNICEF, and its partners have identified and registered some 200 unaccompanied children found in orphanages and wandering in neighborhoods in Port-au-Prince. Based on the given information and photographs taken, workers will begin to trace the families of these children, if they exist. A similar registry was used after the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia and more recently in cyclone-hit Myanmar.

For now, the best assistance that individuals can provide is to make a financial contribution to a reputable relief or humanitarian organization working in Haiti.

Days after the earthquake, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced the designation of Temporary Protective Status of Haitian nationals who were in the United States as of January 12, 2010. This designation will allow eligible Haitian nationals in the United States to continue living and working in our community for the next 18 months. TPS will provide a temporary refuge for Haitian nationals who are currently in the United States and whose personal safety would be endangered by returning to Haiti. Granting TPS to Haitians would provide them with the ability to work legally and contribute to the reconstruction of their country until it is safe for them to return.

Haiti has enormous potential, but rebuilding the country requires a coordinated strategy. Here in the U.S., we can support the transition from humanitarian assistance to reconstruction through cash-for-work programs, so Haitians can be paid for clearing roadways and reconstructing infrastructure. Haiti can also boost its private sector by investing in and building the infrastructure for power grids, ports and roads. Also important is revitalizing agriculture so that Haitians can replace food aid programs with food harvested from their own farms.

To jump-start the Haitian economy, in 2008 Congress passed the Haiti Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, better known as the HOPE Act, which provides special rules for the duty-free treatment of select apparel imports which is Haiti's dominant manufacturing sector. With access to the United States market through this agreement, Haiti can create jobs in its apparel and agricultural sectors.

Haiti's reconstruction must create jobs for Haitians, grow the Haitian economy, instill confidence in the government, and be managed transparently. This will require Haitians to unify, since foreign assistance can only go so far. The Haitian people working with their government must come together to rebuild a newer, stronger Haiti.

The difficulties faced by Haiti should not deter us from providing assistance. Our leadership and moral strength is only enhanced when we help others. Truly, we lift as we rise.

Mr. Speaker, I now yield to my good friend, distinguished colleague and one who knows much about the Haiti situation, Mr. Donald Payne from New Jersey.

Let me express my appreciation to the gentlelady from Cleveland for calling this Special Order. She has been such a tremendous resource to the Congressional Black Caucus. And as we know, the Congressional Black Caucus has been very involved in Haiti for many, many years. For the 22 years that I have been a Member of this Congress, Haiti has always been number one on the agenda. And we went through the years when there were dictatorships, and then the elections and President Aristide being elected to office, and then his being deposed and the military, General Cedras, Biamby and those folks took over. And then President Clinton having the foresight to restore President Aristide; 22,000 U.S. troops went to restore democracy without us having even one casualty. And the current situation where President Aristide left and the new government of Preval. So we have been involved throughout the years.

Let me tell you that when we heard the news of the earthquake, 7.0 on the Richter scale, only 6 miles deep, bringing it so close to the surface it made the magnitude even greater, the aftershocks that continued, we immediately said we must do something and do something quickly and do something drastic. So since the earthquake, the Congressional Black Caucus has mobilized to holding emergency meetings regarding Haiti with USAID, the Department of State, nongovernmental organizations, and other stakeholders in the region to get a sense of the effort on the ground in order to take information back to our constituents and organize the legislative efforts in Congress.

On Wednesday, January 13, the CBC international task force called an emergency meeting with the CBC staff regarding the devastation in Haiti. USAID Deputy Administrator John Brause briefed staff about the U.S. response and the extent of the situation. Counselor Cheryl Mills, chief of staff to Secretary of State Clinton, briefed CBC members on January 13 and January 15. The Congressional Black Caucus held a Haiti disaster assistance meeting with Members to discuss legislative efforts and opportunities that we could then move right into effect.

Various members of the Congressional Black Caucus hosted conference calls with their constituents to provide them with updates about relief efforts that were being made in our respective districts. We had tremendous interest in different parts and in our State of New Jersey, New Jersey for Haiti was formed, www.nj4haiti.org. And that organization, which I cochair with Senator Lesniak, said that we needed to move quickly into action. And Stan

Neron, who is a social service worker in the city of Elizabeth was able to get the United Way of the Greater Union County to be partners in arranging drives for supplies and listed organizations that could receive contributions, Red Cross and other organizations, that were already doing work throughout the land.

And so as I indicated, the CBC jumped into our meetings at the conference calls. We had a Special Order following news on January 12. Immediately, members of the Congressional Black Caucus came to the floor to discuss the earthquake in Haiti and relief efforts and what we intended to do. And the following day, on the 14th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed via a conference call with David Meltzer, senior vice president for the international affairs of the American Red Cross. On the 15th of January, Congressional Black Caucus members were briefed through a conference call by the State Department for updates. And so we just remained very active.

The week of January 18 to 22, the Congressional Black Caucus leadership introduced and passed two bipartisan measures on Haiti in Congress. Tuesday the 19th, Chairwoman Lee, on behalf of the caucus, introduced legislation expressing condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti. And in the aftermath of this devastating earthquake, Chairman Charlie Rangel of the important Ways and Means Committee introduced a bipartisan piece of legislation, H.R. 4462, that would allow individuals making a charitable contribution after January 11 and before March 1 to victims of the earthquake in Haiti to claim these charitable deductions on their 2009 tax returns. Absent this change, taxpayers would need to wait until next year to claim a deduction for these contributions on their 2010 tax forms. And so this will speed up deductions eligible for 2009.

The bill also makes it clear that taxpayers making a charitable contribution to victims of the Haiti earthquake through text messages would be able to rely on the cell phone bill while claiming charitable deductions, the first time any activity or action of this nature has been done.

The CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the next steps on Haiti on that day of January 19 and the committee that I am privileged to chair. On Wednesday, January 20, the CBC members were briefed by Ambassador Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti's Ambassador to the United States.

The legislation that we had, we are also in the process of developing. What we have done in our meetings, we've taken a look to see what we can do with the U.S. citizenship and immigration services to discuss TPS and humanitarian parole and other important items. The CBC looked at other issues. Representative Hank Johnson's office drafted a letter to Secretary Clinton and Gates detailing details about the use of security contractors as a part of ongoing relief. Congresswoman Waters is working on Haiti debt cancellation of bills, and Representative Meeks from New York is dealing with a Marshall Plan on Haiti. I intend to ask the Earth Institute at Columbia University, Dr. Sachs, to come to brief the Congressional Black Caucus about the future of Haiti and planning: How should new Haiti be planned? How should Port-au-Prince be redone? How should satellite cities be created? Because we feel that this is an opportunity now to right many of the wrongs that had happened in the past.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee will have a hearing on Haiti in the next few weeks, and Congressman Meeks will be holding a hearing on international financial institutions and how they can assist Haiti. Congressman John Conyers has been in contact with the Air Force liaison. He is going to participate when the time is right in CBC members taking trips to Haiti to see firsthand what we should do. We've been reluctant from going down en masse because we wanted to have our agency people on the ground be free to do things that need to be done. However, when the time is right, we will have a large delegation of members of the CBC to go.

As you know on the 21st of January, the CBC held a press conference to discuss the congressional response to the earthquake. Our CBC met with TransAfrica, its director, Nicole Lee, and Melinda Miles working together for Haiti, NGOs that have been on the ground for many years to find out what is the position of the NGOs and how do they see the situation and how can they better assist as we move forward. CBC facilitated a call with NGO leaders working in Haiti with the Department of State to discuss NGO's experiences and concerns as the U.S. builds and executes recovery and relief and the rebuilding of Haiti. And we found that very instructive for the NGOs and for the Department of State.

On the 19th, the CBC international task force held a staff meeting to discuss the priorities again as relates to it. Congressman Cummings, the chairman of the Subcommittee on the Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation, held a briefing regarding the United States Coast Guard and its ongoing work in Haiti.

We held a press conference at the Haitian Embassy. The CBC went and met with the Haitian Government and we talked about various problems. We wanted to take a look at the TPS guide. We looked at the CARACOM memo. We discussed Haiti's debt relief numbers from Treasury. We have dealt with the CBC constituency outreach guide. And these were all things, as I indicated, that the Congressional Black Caucus has done.

As I wind down, I just want to once again remind Americans that Haiti has been a tremendous part of the growth and the development of our Nation. As I have mentioned on the floor before, it was back in the late 1800s when the enslaved people of Haiti had a rebellion against the Government of France, and Napoleon's army, after 12 years' struggle, lost the war to Haiti; Haiti becoming the first country where enslaved people overthrew the power, European power, and became a republic, just the third republic ever in the world at that time.

So we have a tremendous amount of regard and respect for Haiti as they defeated the French, therefore causing France to lose much of the wealth that it gained from Haiti. Half of the sugar and coffee and cocoa, other products in Europe, 50 percent of them came from Haiti alone. Haiti produced more wealth to France than all of the 13 original colonies gave to the U.S. Government.

And so Haiti, once it became independent from France, France became cash poor. But it still had land in the Louisiana Territory and, as a result of their defeat, were forced to sell the Louisiana Territory, negotiated by Jefferson, to the United States. And that opened up the West for the United States.

As a matter of fact, France had armies of 20,000 persons where the U.S. Army was just about 5,000 strong. So the French had a more powerful military here in the Western Hemisphere and would have been a problem for the United States had not the treaty been made and France being forced to sell the Louisiana Territory.

Many other Haitians are involved in our history. The Battle of Savannah, where Haitians fought for our independence, valiantly losing lives but helping to turn the tide of the Revolutionary War. We know that Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable, popularly known as the Father of Chicago, was a Haitian colonist in North America, mixed French and Haitian ancestry, and he was the person that discovered Chicago and was really called the Father of Chicago back in 1968. So there are so many people of Haitian descent, and Haiti itself, that has a great deal to do with our development.

Finally, let me just mention this last point, that when World War II began, the U.S. started to become concerned about the dependence of rubber from a territory that was going to be controlled by the Japanese. By 1942, the Indonesians, the British-controlled rubber plantations provided 99 percent of the commercial rubber for the world. In the earliest stages of World War II, the United States realized the disastrous consequence if rubber plantations fell to Japan. This would cut off to the United States and its allies rubber supplies, an absolutely critical commodity, as you know, not only for the economy, but to keep a war effort moving forward.

The United States made some presentations in 1940 and 1941. We started to

increase our rubber stockpiles. However, botanists went to Haiti to attempt to grow rubber trees in Haiti. The Haitian rubber project was not supposed to be a part of the war effort, but it really was. It was not something that was necessary if we were not concerned about rubber being cut off from the United States. What happened, though, is that much of the land was denuded. Natural habitat was destroyed. Ebony trees and plants that were natural in Haiti were taken out, and the attempt to grow rubber trees was started on large portions of land. There were some Haitian botanists who said that it would not work; however, the U.S. insisted on trying the experiment.

Today, one of the biggest problems in Haiti is erosion. It is because of deforestation, because people are dependent on wood for homes and heating. However, this dastardly situation started actually by the United States for the war effort with the attempt to grow foreign seeds that would not grow in that kind of topography. So, once again, as we look at the tremendous erosion that is abundant in Haiti today, the beginning of it happened to be at the time when the United States felt that it needed to have the growth of rubber trees in our hemisphere in a place that was close to the United States.

And so even, once again, as we look at how Haiti has impacted on the United States, this consequence of a negative development on the part of the U.S. Government I think once again is a reason that we should have a strong passion for our sister country Haiti.

So we will continue in New Jersey to continue to move forward with all of the many people that are involved. We look forward to having a mass at the basilica near the end of the month of February. Our Governor is going to provide an office that we can work with to try to be sure that people who may be coming with TPS and other problems, family unification, parole, adoption, that we will be able to service these people who are crying out for help.

So with that, I see one of my colleagues here from the great State of Texas, Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, who has really done a tremendous amount of work in this area and sits on important committees and certainly has a great deal to contribute.

At this time, Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentlelady from Texas.

I thank the chairwoman very much, and I thank her for her leadership on this issue, joined with the chairman of the full committee and the ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen and Chairman Berman; the Congressional Black Caucus; and so many Members who have issued their outpouring of support. I thank Chairman Payne for his continued efforts, and I thank all of the Members who have sizable populations of Haitians in their districts.

There is a very active Haitian American population in Houston, Texas. We have been working. We have been pouring out our hearts, but we've also rolled up our sleeves. I believe there are several issues, as we support this resolution, that should be focused on.

One, we must have a long-term response, a Marshall Plan, in essence, to help rebuild Haiti. Two, we must deal

with the immediate crisis, emergency, loss of life, loss of loved ones, the ability to have medical care, and, yes, protecting our offerings.

So my community met on this past Saturday with the county government, the State government, the city government, Mayor Annise Parker and her representatives, the fire department, and our National and Texas Reserve, committing ourselves the resources and assets to be able to be of assistance. I was delighted to have been able to send from Texas two plane-loads of doctors, nurses and medical supplies, led by Dr. Richard Toussaint, where this past weekend they were able to do 150 surgeries and 600 visits.

Moving forward, we will focus on relief efforts for the children, providing more medical care and, yes, insisting on making sure that we rebuild this great city and this great nation. We can do this. We are standing by their side. We will not leave them alone.

Madam Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 1021--``Expressing Condolences to and Solidarity with the People of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating Earthquake of January 12th, 2010.''

As you know, on Tuesday, January 12th, a massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince. There is still no official estimate of death or destruction but the damage to buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be in the hundreds of thousands.

Haiti sits on a large fault that has caused catastrophic quakes in the past, but this one was described as among the most powerful to hit the region within the last 200 years. With many poor residents living in tin-roof shacks that sit precariously on steep ravines and with much of the construction in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere in the country of questionable quality, the expectation was that the quake caused major damage to buildings and significant loss of life.

The dimensions of the disaster are still unfolding, but Haiti's Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive told CNN that he believes there are well over 100,000 dead, and leading senator Youri Latortue estimated the number at possibly as high as 500,000, according the Associated Press.

America is responding, and will continue to respond with immediate humanitarian assistance to help the people of this struggling island nation rebuild their livelihoods. I send my condolences to the people and government of Haiti as they grieve once again in the aftermath of a natural disaster. As Haiti's neighbor, I believe it is the United States' responsibility to help Haiti recover, and build the capacity to mitigate against future disasters.

America and her allies have already initiated a comprehensive, interagency response to the earthquake. The State Department, Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, Coast Guard, USAID--all worked overnight to ensure critical resources were positioned to support the response and recovery effort, including efforts to find and assist American citizens in Haiti.

Within days of last week's devastating earthquake, U.S. Southern Command deployed a team of 30 people to Haiti to support U.S. relief efforts in the aftermath of one of the largest natural disasters in the western hemisphere. The team included U.S. military engineers, operational planners, and a command and control group and communication specialists arriving on two C-130 Hercules aircraft. Since, there has been a tremendous interagency response with support and partnering with U.S. Embassy personnel as well as Haitian, United Nations and international officials to assess the situation and facilitate follow- on U.S. military support.

Our friends in the international community must also be commended for their efforts. The United Nations is releasing $10 million from its emergency funds. The European Commission has approved C3 million ($4.37 million) with more funds likely. Countless other nations from Germany, to China, to Israel to Mexico to have also pledged support. I commend each of these nations for coming to our neighboring nation in dire need of assistance.

Many of my constituents have asked what they can do to help, or how they can find their loved ones. Those who are interested in helping immediately can text `HAITI' to `90999' and a donation of $10 will be made automatically to the Red Cross for relief efforts. The donation will be charged to your cell phone bill.

The outpouring of support and funding from the American people was both instant and sustained. According to the Washington Post, the text messaging effort raised $5 million in its first day, breaking the previous one-day record of about $450,000. Text-message donations continue to play a larger-than-expected role in the push for earthquake relief in Haiti. As of late Sunday, the American Red Cross said that it had collected pledges of about $103 million, including $22 million through the text donation program. Each donor should be proud of their contribution to help their brothers and sisters in Haiti.

Financially, 2009 was not an easy year for many Americans. Although thousands of jobs were created and we are back on the road to economic recovery, Americans lived on tighter budgets than usual. This legislation passed today will allow those Americans who have generously donated money to Haiti to receive their tax break this year instead of next year.

In January of 2005, Congress enacted this type of relief for individuals that made charitable contributions to victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami that occurred in late December of 2004. That bill (H.R. 241 in the 109th Congress) passed the House of Representatives without objection and subsequently passed the Senate by unanimous consent. I hope that this legislation, like our response to the 2004 tsunami, will encourage Americans to contribute more money to Haiti. As Haiti starts on its long recovery, every dollar is critically important. Americans have responded in great numbers, and I am proud to represent such a compassionate and generous nation.

Americans are not only giving their money, they are also giving their time and expertise as well. This weekend, I arranged for a team of seven doctors, six nurses, two techs, and two search and rescue volunteers to fly to Haiti and provide immediate humanitarian support. This team led by Dr. Richard Toussaint from Forest Park Medical Center in Dallas Texas arrived in Haiti just after noon on Saturday. From there, the doctors made their way to Hospital Sacre-Couer where, in roughly two days, they performed about 70 amputations, surgically treated about 150 patients, and saw about 600 patients total. I commend this team of medical personnel for their selfless actions and willingness to spend their own time and money to come to the aid of people they had never met.

Additionally, I hosted a Houston-based Haiti relief effort called ``Texans helping Haitians'' with city leadership and the Haitian community in the aftermath of this horrible disaster. Groups included in the effort to provide supplies and medical assistance to Haiti were: Texas Medical Center, Texas Dental Association, Search and Rescue Organizations, the Haitian Multicultural Association, Haitian Caribbean Organization of Texas, Caribbean Impact Foundation, and Haiti Counts.

We also helped coordinate the safe return of six Houston Rotarians that were stranded in the mountains and we are now working with Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance on the transport of orphans to awaiting families here in the U.S.

Throughout my time in Congress, I have been highly involved in strengthening the relationship between the U.S. and Haiti. I have worked to establish positive and productive partnerships with local development officials, non-profit organizations, and the Haitian Diaspora to establish a strong web of support for the nation of Haiti. In collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus, I have been a continual advocate of providing assistance to Haiti to strengthen their fragile democratic processes, continue to improve security, and promote economic development among other concerns such the protection of human rights, combating narcotics, arms, and human trafficking, addressing Haitian migration, and alleviating poverty.

Last year, I introduced H.R. 264, the ``Save Immigration Comprehensive Act of 2009.'' Among other things, this act authorizes adjustment of status for certain nationals or citizens of Haiti as well as amends the Haitian Refugee Immigration Fairness Act of 1998 to: (1) waive document fraud as a ground of inadmissibility; and (2) address determinations with respect to children. In the wake of last week's earthquake, I am happy to see that the Obama Administration decided to extend temporary protection status to Haitians facing deportation.

Once again, I am devastated by the immeasurable tragedy that occurred in Haiti. Along with my colleagues, I hope to visit Haiti in the near future to meet with their leaders and see what the United States can do to rebuild the shattered livelihoods.

Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 1021) expressing condolences to and solidarity with the people of Haiti in the aftermath of the devastating earthquake of January 12, 2010.

Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.

Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this resolution which expresses our deep condolences and solidarity with the people of Haiti, and all of those who have lost loved ones or have otherwise been affected by the tragic earthquake of January 12, 2010.

Let me first thank our Speaker, Chairman Berman, Chairman Payne and Ranking Member Ros-Lehtinen for helping to bring this resolution to the floor today. Also I want to express my deep gratitude to our staffs for working on this to make sure that the resolution came forward today. I would also like to recognize my colleagues in the Congressional Black Caucus.

The CBC has a long history of working with the Haitian people and the Haitian American community and the Haitian Government. And many of us have traveled to that country many, many times. During the current crisis, the CBC has and will continue to work closely with the Obama administration and outside organizations to provide whatever assistance is needed for ongoing relief and recovery efforts. And I am very proud of the fact that each and every member of the Congressional Black Caucus has signed on as original cosponsors of this resolution.

More than a week has passed since the 7.0 earthquake. Again, many aftershocks, just today another 6.1 aftershock, which has devastated the country of Haiti. We have all seen the horrific images, and our hearts are heavy for the Haitian people and all of those affected by this tragedy. An estimated 3 million people have been directly affected by this catastrophe, leaving over 1 million homeless, and many at risk of long-term displacement and vulnerability.

The latest figures estimate 200,000 people may have been killed as a result of this disaster. The massive number of casualties, as well as the extensive infrastructure damage, including to roads, ports, hospitals, residential dwellings, marks this earthquake as the worst natural disaster to strike Haiti in over two centuries.

Currently, our government is engaged now in one of our largest humanitarian relief efforts in our history. To date, USAID has provided $100 million to Haiti for relief efforts, and more is likely on the way. So I have to commend at this time the men and women of the Government of Haiti, of our own government, of our Armed Services, the United Nations, the international community, our NGOs, our neighbors in the Caribbean and Latin America, and throughout the world in their immediate response to assist those affected by this calamity.

We continue to work around the clock to provide as much food, water, and emergency health care as possible under these unimaginable circumstances. So it is important that these emergency supplies be expedited, and not caught up in bureaucratic hurdles. The same goes for many relief and rescue organizations trying to evacuate survivors for emergency care. The red tape must be cut to save as many lives as possible.

Let me applaud the Haitian American community for providing relief to family and friends and the entire country. Also I have to praise the efforts of the American people at large, who have once again demonstrated their compassion by providing aid to people they have never met, never met, but who are suffering nonetheless just miles off our shore.

This resolution summarizes the unfortunate facts that have occurred in Haiti, but also, in addition to supporting the efforts of the Haitian people and being in solidarity with the Haitian Government and the Haitian people at this point during this rescue and recovery phase, this resolution also recognizes, in a bipartisan way, support for the recovery and long-term reconstruction of Haiti, and also recognizes that the recovery and long-term needs of Haiti will require a sustained commitment, mind you a sustained commitment by the United States and the international community, based on a comprehensive strategy based on what the Haitian people and the Government of Haiti have deemed necessary and required for their full recovery and reconstruction.

I reserve the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, I yield to my friend from Virginia (Mr. Connolly) for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I would now like to yield such time as he may consume to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and Global Affairs, also the Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus's International Affairs Task Force, a real leader who has worked on Haiti all of his life, Congressman Donald Payne from New Jersey.

I would like to yield 1 minute now to our majority leader, Representative Hoyer from the great State of Maryland.

I would like to now yield 1 minute to our great Speaker from the State of California, Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the Chair of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on The Western Hemisphere, the gentleman from New York, Chairman Engel.

Before recognizing the next speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentlewoman from Illinois (Ms. Schakowsky), for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request.

(Ms. SCHAKOWSKY asked and was given permission to revise and extend her remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Watson).

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, also Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Transportation Security and Infrastructure Protection, the gentlewoman from Texas (Ms. Jackson Lee).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 10 seconds.

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the Chair of the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, the gentlewoman from New York (Mrs. Lowey).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 30 seconds.

Madam Speaker, before I recognize my next speaker, I yield to my friend, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis), for the purpose of making a unanimous consent request.

(Mr. DAVIS of Illinois asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)

Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to a member of the Committee on Natural Resources, who is the second vice Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, the gentlewoman from the Virgin Islands (Mrs. Christensen).

I yield the gentlewoman an additional 15 seconds.

I would like to thank the gentlewoman from Florida for yielding and also for her strong support and her assistance with this resolution.

Let me now yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from New York, a member of the Committee on Small Business, who also serves as an officer of the whip of the Congressional Black Caucus, hails from the Caribbean, a leader on so many issues, Congresswoman Yvette Clarke.

I now yield 2 minutes to the Chair of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, a leader on so many issues who has been involved with Haiti since I have known her, and that has been since the 1970s, who has led the charge for debt relief, Congresswoman Maxine Waters.

I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my colleague and friend from California (Mr. Schiff), a member of the Appropriations Committee.

I yield the gentleman 20 additional seconds.

Before I close, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to my friend from New Jersey, Chair of the African Global Health Subcommittee, Chairman Payne.

Madam Speaker, let me thank all of the Members today for coming down to the floor in support of this resolution but, more importantly, in support of the people of Haiti.

I end by calling on all my colleagues to join me in supporting this measure to express our deepest condolences, our steadfast solidarity, and our sustained commitment to the people of Haiti in the wake of this ongoing tragedy.

As we move forward, let us not waiver in saying to the people of Haiti: Your resilience, your dignity, your courage, even during your darkest hour, continues to inspire us. And during your darkest hour, the United States, and the American people, will not abandon you as you continue to struggle for a brighter tomorrow.

I urge my colleagues to support the resolution.

I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.