Washington, D.C. -- Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) yesterday (Wednesday, Jan. 13) joined 22 of his colleagues in urging Senate leadership of both parties to support emergency funding for Haiti.

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), and the Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Thad Cochran (R-Miss.), the Senators ask that “robust emergency funds” be attached to the next legislative vehicle.

The letter points out that Haiti is already the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and that the “relief and reconstruction needs of the Haitian people be substantial and long term.”

“The thoughts and prayers of Minnesotans are with the Haitian people right now,” said Sen. Franken.  “It is nearly impossible to comprehend the scope of this disaster. We need to act swiftly and decisively to get supplies and resources to Port-au-Prince and do whatever we can to help in the wake of this catastrophe.”

President Obama promised $100 million in relief aid to Haiti. It is impossible to confirm the number of casualties, but the lack of clean drinking water and the insufficient number of medical personnel to treat the sick and wounded means that the crisis is far from over.

The Senate reconvenes on Tuesday, Jan. 19.

The full text of the letter is below.




January 13, 2010


The Honorable Harry Reid                                    The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader                                                Minority Leader
522 Hart Senate Office Building                        361-A Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510                                    Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Daniel K. Inouye                        The Honorable Thad Cochran
Chairman                                                            Ranking Member
Senate Committee on Appropriations                        Senate Committee on Appropriations
The Capitol, S-128                                                The Capitol, S-128            
Washington, DC 20510                                     Washington, DC 20510


Dear Majority Leader Reid, Minority Leader McConnell, Chairman Inouye, and Ranking Member Cochran:

In the aftermath of yesterday’s devastating earthquake, we are writing to request that you include robust emergency funds to assist Haiti in the next legislative vehicle before the Senate.

The magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Haiti on January 12 was centered just ten miles from the capital of Port-au-Prince, leaving thousands of Haitians dead and millions in dire need of basic food, shelter, and medical attention.  As communication and infrastructure networks have been severely disrupted, we may not know the full extent of the damage for several weeks.  It is already clear, however, that the relief and reconstructions needs of the Haitian people will be substantial and long-term.

The United States and the international community must act quickly to address the immediate needs of the Haitian people and to support the Government of Haiti.  Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and lacks the capacity to respond to and recover from a disaster of such scale and scope.

Robust and immediate U.S. assistance to Haiti in the wake of this catastrophe is vital to support stability in that fragile country, and is in our own national security interest.  Thank you for your consideration of this request.

Sincerely,