WHERE'S THE PAPER? Haiti Still Waiting On U.S. Aid

Posted September 29, 2010 by admin for Global Grind Staff

In Washington there is confusion about the money. At a July hearing, Ravij Shah, director of the U.S. Agency for International Development, thanked members of Congress for approving the funds, saying, 'The resources are flowing and are being spent in country.'

It wasn't true then, and still hasn't happened.

When the earthquake hit, U.S. agencies sent troops, rescuers, aid workers and supplies to the devastated capital, Port-au-Prince. On March 24, President Barack Obama asked Congress for $2.8 billion in emergency aid to Haiti – about half to pay back money already spent by USAID, the Defense Department and others. An additional $212 million was to write off debt.