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I recognize your support and friendship, and I applaud your guts of conviction to speak the fact to power even when it is challenging. These countries that chose to avoid ballot or voted versus the resolution at the OAS relating to the circumstance in Venezuela, I desire you to know that your choice just enhances injustice and tyranny in the Americas.
It is my.
hope that you will reconsider how your vote on these kind of problems in the future. Eventually, we all have a duty to actively safeguard flexibility in the Americas, but that can only need very tough options. Mr. Sires. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for working together on this hearing, and I want to thank the witnesses for being here today. Thank you quite. The Caribbean is frequently described as America's 3rd border and I agree with this description. With nearly 45 million people including 16 independent countries and 14 abroad territories, the Caribbean is a diverse region that consists of some of the hemisphere's richest.
and poorest nations. It is an area of excellent economic and cultural, political and security ties to the United States. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is characterized by extensive financial linkages, significant security cooperation, and continued U.S. Over the previous 3 years, the administration has put forth a new effort supporting energy diversification and clean, sustainable energy jobs to improve the area's energy security and to help it move away from its dependence on oil from Venezuela. Venezuela, which has long subsidized energy expenses to many Latin American and Caribbean countries, must turn inward to rescue itself from economic and political collapse. In the middle of these uncomfortable times we need to work.
with our Caribbean partners to diversify energy sources, reinforce their economies, and build on a mutual security interest. On the legal front, last month the Home approved H (What does ear stand for in finance).R. Which of the following can be described as involving direct finance. This act is designed to increase engagement with the Caribbean that requires the Secretary of State to send a multiyear plan to Congress for U.S. engagement with the Caribbean regions and upgrade on its U.S. diplomatic effort to engage the eastern Caribbean nations. As a global power, the United States faces challenges and risks from every corner of the world. However, it is important that we stay participated in the Western Hemisphere and not lose sight of our interests so near house. I eagerly anticipate speaking with our witnesses on how the U.S. efforts in the Caribbean can improve and how America can continue to strengthen its partnership with our Caribbean next-door neighbors. Mr. Duncan. I will thank the ranking member, and I will simply state I don't know how numerous other members we are going to have today. We have actually adjourned for the August recess break and we wished to continue. Understanding that we were going to adjourn, we were willing to continue with this hearing because that is how important it is to the ranking member and myself, so do not think due to the fact that no other members reveal up that it isn't an essential problem to the committee and to the subcommittee. And I look forward to hearing from the witnesses who are very well understood to the.

committee so their bios are available to us, and I will acknowledge Eric Farnsworth for 5 minutes. ERIC FARNSWORTH, VICE PRESIDENT, COUNCIL OF THE AMERICAS AND AMERICAS SOCIETY Mr. Farnsworth. Well, Mr. Chairman, thank you quite for continuing with the hearing on such a crucial subject. Thank you for your leadership overall on these problems along with the Caribbean specifically, and Mr. Ranking Member, you as well. It is actually essential to have a bipartisan voice on these issues and we keep in mind that. We take complete satisfaction in that and thank you for that leadership, Home page and we ask that that would continue in some way given the significance of the problems at hand. The United States does have strategic problems.
in the Caribbean Basin and we don't often speak about it in that method, but in my view they are strategic, from assistance for democratic institutions-- some of which are rather vulnerable; some of which are strong and long-lasting-- we have security interests including drug trafficking, counterterrorism, the battle versus monetary criminal activities, undoubtedly immigration and humanitarian issues, energy, the environment, financial development; it is an extremely vast array of problems to which the United States has interest. Mr. Sires. Thank you. Mr. Chairman. Mr. Duncan. The Chair will now go to Mr. Yoho from Florida. Mr. Yoho. Mr. Chairman, I appreciate you putting this together, and I wish to thank you for putting the pivot on our neighbors in the Caribbean. As you have specified which we have actually seen, and it is not simply this administration, it is most likely over the last 20 or 30 years where we have taken our eye off Website link the ball in the Caribbean. When we have country http://caidenxnnp353.trexgame.net/the-10-minute-rule-for-what-does-cfa-stand-for-in-finance states that near us with like cultures, you understand, we value the exact same things, our family values, things like that, that near us, and we take the eye off of that we begin losing our competitiveness and we have seen that.
And it is so essential down because location and we desire people, you know, top is to be safe and secure because area. And with the conflicts going on on the planet we don't desire them to attack in that location and unfortunately, we are starting to see that. And I believe one of the greatest things is President Maduro, after Chavez, seeing what is going on in Venezuela. And we have actually seen in the past, when you have self-appointed totalitarians that concern power and when they fall there is a vacuum filled. We have seen that around the globe.