Lawmakers Want State Department to Assess Impact of Haiti Sanctions
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., and Rep. Gregory Murphy, R-N.C., introduced a bill July 2 that would require the State Department to develop a strategy to address instability in Haiti, including by assessing the impact of sanctions on the country.
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The Strategy to Address Key Priorities Affecting Security and Empowerment in Haiti Act, or the SAK PASE Act, was referred to the Foreign Affairs Committee. The phrase “Sak pase?” means “What’s happening?” in Haitian Creole.
Meeks has opposed the Trump administration’s recent decision to designate Haitian gangs as foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), saying the move could impede the delivery of humanitarian aid to the impoverished country (see 2504300032 and 2505020026).
The introduction of the Sak Pase Act came about three months after Meeks reintroduced the Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act, which would sanction Haitian political and economic elites involved in criminal activity (see 2504040038). The Foreign Affairs Committee approved the reintroduced bill April 9, and Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., is offering a companion measure (see 2504090052 and 2505230001).
In light of the ongoing unrest in Haiti, Meeks hopes both of his Haiti bills will advance before the August congressional recess, a Foreign Affairs Committee aide said July 7.