I acknowledge your assistance and relationship, and I applaud your guts of conviction to speak the fact to power even when it is difficult. These countries that picked to avoid ballot or voted versus the resolution at the OAS concerning the situation in Venezuela, I want you to understand that your decision only enhances injustice and tyranny in the Americas.
It is my.
hope that you will reevaluate how your vote on these type of issues in the future. Ultimately, all of us have a responsibility to actively secure freedom in the Americas, but that can only require extremely difficult options. Mr. Sires. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for collaborating on this hearing, and I wish to thank the witnesses for being here today. Thank you extremely much. The Caribbean is frequently explained as America's third border and I agree with this description. With nearly 45 million people encompassing 16 independent nations and 14 abroad areas, the Caribbean is a varied region that consists of a few of the hemisphere's richest.
and poorest countries. It is a region of terrific financial and cultural, political and security ties to the United States. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is defined by extensive financial linkages, considerable security cooperation, and continued U.S. Over the past 3 years, the administration has actually presented a new effort supporting energy diversity and tidy, sustainable energy jobs to enhance the area's energy security and to assist it move away from its reliance on oil from Venezuela. Venezuela, which has long subsidized energy costs to many Latin American and Caribbean nations, must turn inward to save itself from economic and political collapse. In the middle of these uncomfortable times we should work.
with our Caribbean partners to diversify energy sources, strengthen their economies, and build on a shared security interest. On the legislative front, last month your home approved H (How to finance a franchise with no money).R. How to finance a home addition. This act is created to increase engagement with the Caribbean that needs the Secretary of State to send a multiyear strategy to Congress for U.S. engagement with the Caribbean regions and upgrade on its U.S. diplomatic effort to engage the eastern Caribbean countries. As a global power, the United States faces obstacles and threats from every corner of the world. Nevertheless, it is important that we stay engaged in the Western Hemisphere and not lose sight of our interests so near to house. I eagerly anticipate hearing from our witnesses on how the U.S. efforts in the Caribbean can enhance and how America can continue to enhance its partnership with our Caribbean neighbors. Mr. Duncan. I will thank the ranking member, and I will simply state I don't understand the number of other members we are going to have today. We have actually adjourned for the August recess break and we wished to continue. Knowing that we were going to adjourn, we wanted to continue with this hearing because that is how important it is to the ranking member and myself, so do not believe because no other members reveal up that it isn't an essential issue to the committee and to the subcommittee. And I anticipate hearing from the witnesses who are very well known to the.
More About Informative post Which Of These Is The Most Significant Item That Personal Finance Skills Can Affect?
committee so their bios are offered to us, and I will recognize 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 an essential topic. Thank you for your leadership overall on these problems in addition to the Caribbean specifically, and Mr. Ranking Member, you too. It is truly important to have a bipartisan voice on these issues and we keep in mind that. We take satisfaction in that and thank you for that leadership, and we ask that that would continue in some way offered the significance of the problems at hand. The United States does have strategic issues.
in the Caribbean Basin and we don't frequently discuss it because method, but in my Take a look at the site here view they are tactical, from support for democratic organizations-- a few of which are quite delicate; some of which are strong and enduring-- we have security interests consisting of drug trafficking, counterterrorism, the fight against financial criminal activities, undoubtedly immigration and humanitarian issues, energy, the environment, financial development; it is a really vast array of issues 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 value you putting this together, and I want to thank you for putting the pivot on our neighbors in the Caribbean. As you have actually specified and that we have actually seen, and it is not just this administration, it is most https://www.evernote.com/shard/s467/sh/ad436a43-5585-0a38-f743-86c4c41080d2/c9c6b0ebc33260cb126a45ff1a670639 likely over the last 20 or 30 years where we have taken our eye off the ball in the Caribbean. When we have country states that close to us with like cultures, you understand, we value the very same things, our household 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 crucial down in that location and we want individuals, you understand, primary is to be safe and secure in that area. And with the conflicts going on worldwide we don't desire them to get into in that area and regrettably, we are starting to see that. And I think 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 actually seen that worldwide.