“I want to thank Chairman Berman and Ms. Ros-Lehtinen for holding this hearing today. As the new Ranking Member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, I not only plan to attend the Summit, but I also look forward to working with Mr. Engel in developing a fresh outlook for the Hemisphere.

“The theme of this Summit is closely aligned with my own goals: increased prosperity for the entire hemisphere, strengthening of democratic institutions and governance, and greater energy security and cooperation.

“I am particularly interested in our witnesses’ thoughts on the spread and strengthening of democratic institutions in the region. As you all are aware, several major elections will occur across the region this year. One of these key elections will be held in El Salvador this Sunday. With so much at stake, it is critical that we work with our partners in the hemisphere to bolster freedom, security, and prosperity across Latin America.

“I say this because we have already seen how, if unchecked, thugs manipulate democracy by quelling freedom and prosperity. At the last Summit, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez led violent protests against free trade, democratic values, and for that matter, violent protests against the United States. Since then, Chavez has spent hundreds of millions of dollars in manipulating ballot boxes across the region.

“It is no surprise then that many are calling for the United States to focus on trade agreements with countries that share our commitment to free trade and democracy, rather than participating in Summits, such as this one.

“This will be President Obama’s first Summit and he and his Administration have pledged to pay more attention to our neighbors in Latin America. But as Members of Congress, it is our responsibility to provide rigorous oversight of the Administration’s commitments and promises in the region.

“In addition, I want to take a minute to say that I am very interested in the new Administration’s top Latin America posts at State. President Obama needs to make his appointments known and send them to the Senate for confirmation hearings. Now is the time to get the people in place in order to start the important work that needs to be done in the hemisphere.

“Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you holding this hearing and I look forward to working together on these important issues and hearing from the members of our panel today.”

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