4 DEAD AND 8 WOUNDED

HAITI STANDARD

The Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) reported on the police operation carried out during the day of March 12, in Village de Dieu, in Port-au-Prince. Four (4) dead and eight (8) wounded are recorded, this is the result of this operation that the security forces are not ready to forget.

During a press briefing, on Saturday, at the Information and Operations Centre (CRO), the head of the police institution reaffirmed the determination of the PNH to fight against insecurity, organized crime and kidnapping that prevent people from going about their business freely.

«The operation conducted in Village de Dieu, on March 12, was a decisive phase in the fight against the many cases of kidnapping recorded in Port-au-Prince»,” said the Commander-in-Chief of the Police.  

Of the eight wounded registered by the PNH, three of them have already been released from the hospital where they were admitted, said the police chief. He also expressed his sympathies to the parents of the police officers who were the victims of this operation, and promised to stand by them.

Russia Offers its Services to Haiti

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia in a short message published on Twiter said that Haiti has entered a new period of political instability and is experiencing the biggest social and economic crisis ever seen.

This Ministry has informed that Russia is ready to help Haitians restore political stability, maintain internal security and train staff.

 

IN HAITI‘S POLITICAL CRISIS, US SHOULD SUPPORT DEMOCRACY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

By Pierre Esperance and Rosy Auguste Ducena

Two weeks before being sworn in as U.S. secretary of state, Antony Blinken tweeted that the United States “will always support democracy, human rights, and the security and prosperity of Haiti.” But these promising words now ring hollow as the State Department doubles down on its support of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, who is attempting to cling to power beyond the legal end of his term last month.

Haitian judges, lawyers, and civil society leaders—including the two of us, who lead one of Haiti’s premier human rights organizations—agree that Moïse’s term legally concluded on Feb. 7. Regrettably, as Haiti’s constitutional crisis unfolds, the United States has thrown its weight behind Moïse, saying he has one more year in office and should use it to organize elections. That position is based on Moïse’s argument that a rerun of the 2015 election after fraud allegations delayed his taking office by a year. Tragically, the State Department has chosen to stand on the side of a dictator, not on the side of democracy and human rights, betraying Blinken’s promise.

In a letter to Blinken, Gregory Meeks (D-NY), chairman of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, and other committee members urged the secretary of state to “unambiguously reject” Moïse’s attempt to stay in power. Key U.S. senators also want to see the United States take a different approach. Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (D-VT), for example, tweeted that Haiti is in “worse shape” now than when Moïse first took power, calling on the United States to support an “inclusive transition.”

Dismantling Democratic Institutions

Since taking office in 2017, Moïse has systematically dismantled key democratic institutions, including those charged with keeping him accountable, apparently with the goal of extending his authority and undermining the rule of law. For example, Moïse drastically weakened the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC) and the Central Financial Intelligence Unit (UCREF), which were leading investigations into corruption and money laundering, illicit drug trafficking and other serious offences, including cases that implicated Moïse, among others. Moïse even weakened the Superior Court of Auditors and Administrative Disputes (CSCCA), which is responsible for reviewing all expenditures and financial commitments made by the Haitian government.

When pro-democracy activists challenged Moïse’s refusal to step down from the presidency last month, he arrested them and charged them with planning a coup. At the same time, he forced “retirement” on three Supreme Court justices and replaced them with his supporters in order to “protect” the court’s “independence.” Most worrisome of all, he is planning a constitutional referendum in June, during which he is expected to further consolidate and expand the powers of the executive, including potential changes to presidential term limits.

Gang Massacres

Crucially, Moïse also has created a security crisis for the people of Haiti by failing to hold egregious human rights abusers accountable during his tenure. We see this all around us. We have documented the massacres by gangs who operate with Moïse’s blessing, if not his full support: 10 massacres in the past two years, in which 343 people were killed, 98 disappeared, and 32 women were gang raped. The violence left 251 children orphaned.

It is time for the Biden administration to align its policies with its principles. The United States needs to reverse its policy of standing by Moïse, consult with Haitian civil society to help inform its approach going forward, and take the powerful step of placing democracy and human rights at the center of its foreign policy towards Haiti.

 

World Bank Approves $75 Million Grant to Strengthen Social Protection in Haiti

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2021 – The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved today a US$75 million grant from the International Development Association (IDA) for the Adaptive Social Protection for Increased Resilience Project (ASPIRE). This project will support Haiti’s efforts to establish an adaptive safety net system to respond to shocks, including COVID-19, and to reduce vulnerability to food insecurity and future disasters.  

Social protection systems have the potential to enhance human capital, reduce inequality, build resilience, and end cycles of poverty,” said Javier Suarez, World Bank Acting Country Manager for Haiti. “This project provides immediate resources to help the most vulnerable households, while also supporting Haiti to establish the foundations of a social protection program to build resilience and develop human capital in the medium term.”

An adaptive social protection system is one that helps vulnerable households build resilience by investing in their capacity to prepare for, cope with, and adapt to shocks. The ASPIRE project will provide immediate support to poor and vulnerable households while increasing their resilience through regular unconditional cash transfers and measures to improve health, nutrition, and financial inclusion. The project is designed to enable the scale up of the cash transfer program in the case of emergencies, such as natural disasters or health crises. In addition, the project will help build the capacity of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor (MAST) to improve management and governance of social protection programs.

Unconditional cash transfers will be provided to an estimated 18,000 families (or 90,000 individuals), with a focus on families that are extremely poor, located in rural areas prone to natural disasters, and living with small children, pregnant women, or persons with disabilities. The project will initially focus on the Grande Anse department in Southern Haiti. The project will also establish the foundations to operationalize the National Social Protection and Promotion Policy and allow for an additional 200,000 households to be registered in the social registry of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

 

US EMBASSY UNDER ATTACK

« Good Evening Embassy Port au Prince,*

*It is with regret that RSO informs the Mission community of an attack on one of our LE Staff members which occurred earlier this afternoon, not far from the Embassy, on the road commonly referred to as the “Vivy Michele Shortcut”.  Most importantly, our colleague was unharmed during the altercation; the ability to quickly return to the safety of the Embassy may have saved this individual’s life.  The investigation into exactly what happened is ongoing; however, a timeline and summary of events is provided below for everyone’s situational awareness.  Thankfully this incident did not end in tragedy, but it is a stark reminder of the volatile and unpredictable nature of the security environment in Haiti, where any one of us may find ourselves in a similar situation, anywhere, at any time.*

*Shortly after 3:30 p.m. our colleague departed the Embassy in a CD-plated vehicle with dark tinted windows.  After making a right turn at the OAVTC office and continuing past the BLTS police station, our employee observed several motorcycles following the vehicle.  With no warning, the motorcycle riders blocked our employee’s path in the road, and dozens of other riders appeared, as if by pre-arranged signal.  Adopting a herd mentality, the riders began shouting encouragements to one another and the violence escalated, with numerous rocks thrown at the vehicle causing significant damage.  Seemingly in coordination with the motorcyclists, a car appeared, and one of the occupants brandished a pistol and fired several shots at our staff member’s vehicle; fortunately none connected.*

*Recognizing loss-of-life as a distinct possibility, our staff member was able to drive through the blockade of motorcycles and attempt to evade pursuit by continuing through Vivy Michele and ultimately into Delmas.  After realizing a return to the Embassy was likely the best course of action, our colleague encountered another roadblock on Blvd 15 Octobre, immediately adjacent to the OAVTC office.  The pursuing motorcycles again surrounded the vehicle and began throwing rocks, and it soon became evident that they would attempt to extract our staff member from the vehicle.  Again, by driving forcibly through the blockade, at shortly after 4:00 p.m. our colleague managed to reach the safety of the embassy, emotionally exhausted, but physically uninjured.*

*The incident reached its climax just before 5:00 p.m., right outside the Embassy, as the motorcyclists followed our employee until they saw the vehicle pull into the Embassy parking area.  After continuing past the Embassy for a short distance, the riders turned around, and numbering approximately 30-40, effectively blocked Blvd 15 Octobre between the Embassy Main CAC and our Consular entrance.  They remained in the middle of the road for several minutes, before the Haitian National Police arrived with approximately 50 officers and dispersed the crowd, in part by deploying tear gas.*

*While the reasons for this attack remain speculative at present, the possibility of tinted windows playing a role cannot be completely discounted.  Throughout Haiti there is an active and ongoing campaign to have window-tint removed from all vehicles, as darkened windows are frequently associated with vehicles used by kidnappers.  RSO cannot state categorically that this was the cause of today’s incident, but all employees driving vehicles with tinted windows are advised to exercise extreme caution over the next several days, as this issue appears to have generated significant interest among the local population.  RSO still believes the benefits of having tinted windows on your vehicle outweigh the risks, specifically by concealing the number and gender of occupants, which can play a role in a criminal’s target selection.  Alternatively, until the present focus on vehicles with tinted windows subsides, drivers in this category are assuming a higher-than-normal degree of risk.*

Family Action Network Movement (FANM) Applauds The Biden Administration’s Decision To Grant Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to Venezuelans and Strongly Urges Redesignation of TPS For Haitians 

March 11, 2021

MIAMI, FL- On March 8, 2021, the Biden Administration announced it would designate Temporary Protected Status (TPS) to eligible Venezuelans currently residing in the United States. This could allow over 320,000 Venezuelans to remain in the United States with legal standing. Eligible immigrants have 180 days to apply for TPS and must prove they entered the United States before March 8, 2021. Once granted, their TPS status would last for up to 18 months. FANM applauds this decision and stands ready to assist members with the application process.

Haitian immigrants in the U.S. are hoping for a redesignation of TPS for Haiti. TPS was granted to Haiti after Haiti's 2010 earthquake but protected only those otherwise-eligible Haitians in the U.S. by January 12, 2011. It has been ten years since TPS was redesignated for Haiti. A redesignation would benefit Haitians who came to the U.S. after the 2011 date. In recent months, Haitians have been the victims of violent killings, skyrocketing kidnappings, rape/gender-based violence, and heavy repression from state-aligned forces reminiscent of the Duvalier dictatorship. The Biden administration continues to support the Moise administration and since taking office, over 1,000 Haitian refugees/immigrants, including at least 270 children, have been deported on eighteen flights to Haiti since February 2021.

Marleine Bastien, Executive Director of Family Action Network Movement (FANM), stated, "We applaud and commend the Biden Administration's decision to designate TPS for Venezuela. While we are relieved for the Venezuelan community, a TPS redesignation is desperately needed for Haiti, El Salvador, Honduras, and others! The extraordinary conditions in Haiti warrant a TPS redesignation that covers Haitians living in the U.S. up to now. The Biden administration has the power to take action and, so far, has not articulated the same support for Haiti. They are fully aware of the harm the Haitian people face and yet continue to deport and expel non-violent/non-criminal immigrants! We urgently call upon the Biden Administration to stop these illegal deportations and to redesignate TPS for Haiti now!" 

Family Action Network Movement (FANM) formerly known as Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc)/ Haitian Women of Miami is a private not-for-profit organization dedicated to the social, economic, financial and political empowerment of low to moderate-income families.

Contact: Victoria Villamil

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US Stimulus Plan

Here's what's in the Senate stimulus plan

(CNN) — The Senate on Saturday passed its version of the Democrats' massive coronavirus relief package, after the House passed its package last week.

READ: Senate Democrats' Covid relief bill

Lawmakers made several changes throughout the legislation, but three were particularly notable -- narrowing eligibility for the stimulus checks, trimming the federal boost to unemployment benefits and nixing an increase in the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour.

Much of the Senate legislation, however, largely mirrors the $1.9 trillion package approved by the House and laid out by President Joe Biden in January.

Senate Democratic leaders have faced more hurdles to advancing the legislation since the party can't afford to lose a single member thanks to the 50-50 split in the chamber. Plus, they must adhere to the strict rules of reconciliation, which they are using to approve the bill without any Republican support.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer vowed Thursday to stay in session to finish the bill this week, though Republicans are trying to drag out the process. 

Once the chamber passes its version of the bill, it goes back to the House for a vote and then onto the White House for Biden's signature.

Time is of the essence. An estimated 11.4 million workers will lose their unemployment benefits between mid-March and mid-April unless Congress passes its next coronavirus relief package quickly, a recent study by The Century Foundation found.

Here's what's in the Senate bill:

Stimulus checks

The Senate bill amends the House bill on the $1,400-per-person stimulus payments to tighten eligibility.

Individuals earning less than $75,000 a year and married couples earning less than $150,000 will receive $1,400 per person, including children. That will get money to about 90% of households.

The checks will phase out faster than previous rounds, completely cutting off individuals who earn more than $80,000 a year and married couples earning more than $160,000 -- regardless of how many children they have.

The bill passed by the House set the income caps at $200,000 for couples and $100,000 for individuals. The Senate change leaves out about 7 million families, according to an estimate from the Penn Wharton Budget Model.

Unlike the previous two rounds, adult dependents -- including college students -- are expected to be eligible for the payments.

Unemployment assistance

Unlike the House bill, the Senate version calls for providing a $300 federal boost to weekly jobless payments and extending two key pandemic unemployment benefits programs through September 6, an arrangement hammered out after hours of negotiation on Friday.

The agreement would also make the first $10,200 worth of benefits payments tax-free for households with annual incomes less than $150,000.

This is a significant change from the House bill, which would provide a $400 weekly enhancement through August 29 and continue two pandemic programs for the same period. The House bill does not contain the tax provision.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program provides benefits to freelancers, gig workers, independent contractors and certain people affected by the pandemic, while the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation program increases the duration of payments for those in the traditional state unemployment system.

The President's plan had called for providing a $400 boost and continuing the benefits through the end of September.

Out-of-work Americans will start running out of benefits in the two programs in mid-March, when provisions in December's $900 billion relief package begin phasing out. The $300 enhancement that was part of the December deal also ends in mid-March.

Minimum wage

The Senate bill will not include an increase in the federal minimum wage, which House Democrats proposed raising to $15 an hour.

The parliamentarian ruled in late February that increasing the hourly threshold does not meet a strict set of guidelines needed to move forward in the reconciliation process, which would allow Senate Democrats to pass the relief bill with a simple majority and no Republican votes.

The House legislation would increase the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 in stages. It would also guarantee that tipped workers, youth workers and workers with disabilities are paid the full federal minimum wage.

Aid to states and municipalities

The Senate and House differ on how much aid they would provide to counties and cities, but both chambers contain the same infusion of funding for states, tribes and territories.

The bills would provide states and the District of Columbia with $195.3 billion, but counties and cities would share $120 billion in aid in the Senate bill, $10 billion less than in the House version.

Tribes would get $20 billion and territories $4.5 billion under both bills.

The Senate version of the bill also slightly revises the formula to help states with smaller populations and boost the minimum they will receive. And it contains a $10 billion Coronavirus Capital Projects Fund for states, territories and tribes.

Overall, both bills would funnel a total of $350 billion to states and municipalities.

Additional assistance to states has been among the most controversial elements of the congressional rescue packages, with Democrats looking to add to the $150 billion in the March legislation and Republicans resisting such efforts. The December package ultimately dropped an initial call to include $160 billion.

Nutrition assistance

The Senate and House plans both extend the 15% increase in food stamp benefits through September, instead of having it expire at the end of June.

They also contain $880 million for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, to help increase participation and temporarily improve benefits, among other measures. Biden called for investing $3 billion in the program.

And they would allow states to continue the Pandemic-EBT, which provides families whose children's schools are closed with funding to replace free- and reduced-price meals the kids would have received, through the summer.

Housing aid

Both bills would send roughly $20 billion to state and local governments to help low-income households cover back rent, rent assistance and utility bills.

About $10 billion would be authorized to help struggling homeowners pay their mortgages, utilities and property taxes.

The bills would provide $5 billion to help states and localities assist those at risk of experiencing homelessness and another $5 billion for emergency housing vouchers for those who are homeless.

Tax credits for families and workers

Both the House and Senate legislation beef up tax credits for families and certain low-income workers for 2021.

In an effort to combat poverty, lawmakers would expand the child tax credit to $3,600 for each child under 6 and $3,000 for each child under age 18. Currently, qualifying families can receive a credit of up to $2,000 per child under age 17.

The credit would also become fully refundable so more low-income parents could take advantage of it. Plus, families could receive payments monthly, rather than a lump sum once a year, which would make it easier for them to pay the bills.

The bills also enhance the earned income tax credit for workers without children by nearly tripling the maximum credit and extending eligibility to more people. The minimum age to claim the childless credit would be reduced to 19, from 25, and the upper age limit would be eliminated.

This would be the largest expansion to earned income tax credit since 2009.

Optional paid sick and family leave

Unlike Biden's initial proposal, neither bill would reinstate mandatory paid family and sick leave approved in a previous Covid relief package. But they continue to provide tax credits to employers who voluntarily choose to offer the benefit through October 1.

Last year, Congress guaranteed many workers two weeks pay if they contracted Covid or were quarantining. It also provided an additional 10 weeks of paid family leave to those who were staying home with kids whose schools were closed. Those benefits expired in December.

Education and child care

Both the Senate and House bills would provide nearly $130 billion to K-12 schools to help students return to the classroom. Schools would be allowed to use the money to update their ventilation systems, reduce class sizes to help implement social distancing, buy personal protective equipment and hire support staff. Both bills would require that schools use at least 20% of the money to address learning loss by providing extended days or summer school, for example.

While the money provided by the House bill would go to both public and private schools, based on the number of low-income students enrolled, the Senate bill specifically carves out about $2.75 billion for private schools.

The bills are in line with what Biden proposed, but call for more than six times the amount of funding for K-12 schools than a compromise plan offered by a small group of Republican senators.

The Senate and House plans both include nearly $40 billion for colleges.

Altogether, $170 billion would be authorized for K-12 schools and higher education. Last year, Congress approved a total of $112 billion between two relief packages that went to K-12 schools and colleges.

The bills would also provide about $39 billion to child care providers. The amount a provider receives would be based on operating expenses and is available to pay employees and rent, help families struggling to pay the cost, and purchase personal protective equipment and other supplies.

Health insurance subsidies and Medicaid

Both the Senate and House bills would make federal premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act policies more generous and would eliminate the maximum income cap for two years.

Enrollees would pay no more than 8.5% of their income towards coverage, down from nearly 10% now. Also, those earning more than the current cap of 400% of the federal poverty level -- about $51,000 for an individual and $104,800 for a family of four in 2021 -- would become eligible for help.

In addition, the bills would bolster subsidies for lower-income enrollees, eliminating their premiums completely, and would do the same for those collecting unemployment benefits in 2021.

But the Senate bill provides more assistance than the House version to those who were laid off but want to remain on their employer health insurance plans through COBRA. The Senate calls for picking up the full amount of the premium, while the House would only cover 85%, leaving the former employee to pay 15%.

Both chambers would extend these subsidies through September.

Also, the Senate retains the House provision that seeks to entice states that have yet to expand Medicaid to low-income adults to do so by boosting their federal Medicaid matching funds by 5 percentage points for two years.

More money for small businesses

Both bills would provide $15 billion to the Emergency Injury Disaster Loan program, which provides long-term, low-interest loans from the Small Business Administration. Severely impacted small businesses with fewer than 10 workers will be given priority for some of the money.

They also provide $25 billion for a new grant program specifically for bars and restaurants. Eligible businesses may receive up to $10 million and can use the money for a variety of expenses, including payroll, mortgage and rent, utilities and food and beverages.

The Paycheck Protection Program, which is currently taking applications for second-round loans, would get an additional $7 billion and the bills would make more non-profit organizations eligible.

Another $175 million would be used for outreach and promotion, creating a Community Navigator Program to help target eligible businesses.

Vaccines and testing

The Senate and House bills provide $14 billion to research, develop, distribute, administer and strengthen confidence in vaccines. They would also put $47.8 billion toward testing, contact tracing and mitigation, including investing in laboratory capacity, community-based testing sites and mobile testing units, particularly in medically underserved areas.

Both chambers would also allocate $7.7 billion to hire 100,000 public health workers to support coronavirus response.

The Senate and House legislation also provide $50 billion to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, with some of the funds going toward expanding vaccination efforts.

The President's plan called for investing $20 billion in a national vaccination program.

Rural hospital assistance

The Senate bill allocates $8.5 billion to help struggling rural hospitals and health care providers.

The House bill did not provide any additional funding for hospitals or nursing homes, which received assistance in previous relief packages.

This story has been updated with passage of the Senate bill.

Senate passes Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid-relief plan

https://cnn.it/3qrfopk