Caribbean, Haiti, and Cuba

The strength of the United States is embodied in its diverse and inclusive heritage. Our history has been enriched by our Caribbean neighbors, who have contributed to American culture across a wide range of disciplines, including the arts, business, and politics. Congresswoman Lee was inspired to enter politics by Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, a daughter of the Caribbean and the first African American woman elected to Congress. Since then, Congresswoman Lee has worked tirelessly to strengthen relations between the United States and our neighbors in the Caribbean.

Priorities:

• United States-Caribbean Educational Exchange: Congresswoman Lee firmly believes that cultural exchange and diversity are the cornerstones of a good education. She has fought for the creation of an exchange program for students from the Caribbean to study in the U.S. under the purview of the State Department. Students from both the U.S. and the Caribbean would benefit from the opportunity to learn from one another.
• Ending the Cuba Embargo: The 50-year-old Cuba embargo has been a policy failure, damaging our economy and making it more difficult to strengthen diplomatic relations with our neighboring country. A majority of Americans agree that it’s time to forge a new, productive relationship with Cuba. Congresswoman Lee has been at the forefront of this issue, urging her colleagues in the House to support a new approach to our interactions with Cuba.
• Immigration Reform: Congresswoman Lee has long been a strong advocate for the Diversity Immigrant Visa program, and she will continue to fight to preserve this lifeline for many aspiring immigrants. The Diversity Immigrant Visa program creates the opportunity for immigrants from underrepresented countries to immigrate to the United States and live the American dream.

Accomplishments:

• Shirley Chisholm Postage Stamp: The late Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm’s achievements cannot be overstated. The first African American woman elected to Congress, Congresswoman Chisholm was also the first African American to run for president. Both of Shirley Chisholm’s parents were immigrants, and she spent much of her childhood living in the Caribbean. Congresswoman Lee was inspired to enter public service after witnessing the accomplishments of Congresswoman Chisholm, and has fought to commemorate her achievement on a postage stamp since 2005. Nine years after Congresswoman Chisholm’s death, a stamp honoring her was unveiled in 2014 as part of the United States Postal Service’s Black Heritage series.  
• Assessing Progress in Haiti Act: On January 12, 2010 a devastating 7.0 earthquake struck near Haiti’s capital. The earthquake killed an estimated 316,000, injured 300,000, and left over 1 million more homeless. The U.S. government, the American public, and the international community responded with a tremendous outpouring of support for the Haitian people. However, what began as a swift and effective relief effort gave way to a sluggish reconstruction.   A report by the Government Accountability Office found that USAID has missed a number of its own goals and deadlines. Most importantly, the GAO found that as of June, 2013 USAID had committed only 52%, and disbursed 35%, of the $651 million in funding for earthquake reconstruction. Congresswoman Lee’s bill, The Assessing Progress in Haiti Act of 2013 (H.R. 3509), would require the State Department to produce reports on the progress of infrastructure projects, indicators used to measure project success, measures taken to strengthen Haitian capacity, and many other important benchmarks. With so much money yet to be disbursed, this bill seizes the opportunity to ensure that U.S. assistance to Haiti is as effective as possible.
• Caribbean-American Heritage Month: Over the years, Congresswoman Lee has pushed for the recognition of June as Caribbean-American Heritage Month in the United States. Caribbean Americans have made innumerable contributions to our nation’s history and development, and deserve recognition for their accomplishments. In 2005, Congresswoman Lee’s bill recognizing the month became law. Since then, the month has been celebrated every year by the president, members of Congress, and people across the country.