I recognize your support and friendship, and I commend your courage of conviction to speak the fact to power even when it is difficult. These countries that chose to stay away from voting or voted versus the resolution at the OAS regarding the scenario in Venezuela, I desire you to understand that your decision just advances injustice and tyranny in the Americas.
It is my.
hope that you will reassess how your vote on these type of issues in the future. Eventually, we all have an obligation to actively safeguard liberty in the Americas, however that can just need very tough choices. Mr. Sires. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for collaborating on this hearing, and I want to thank the witnesses for being here today. Thank you quite. The Caribbean is often described as America's third border and I agree with this description. With nearly 45 million people including 16 independent nations and 14 overseas territories, the Caribbean is a varied region that includes a few of the hemisphere's wealthiest.
and poorest nations. It is an area of great economic and cultural, political and security ties to the United States. The U.S.-Caribbean relationship is characterized by substantial economic linkages, significant security cooperation, and continued U.S. Over the past 3 years, the administration has put forth a brand-new effort supporting energy diversity and tidy, sustainable energy jobs to enhance the area's energy security and to help it move away from its reliance on oil from Venezuela. Venezuela, which has long subsidized energy costs to lots of Latin American and Caribbean countries, must turn inward to rescue itself from economic and political collapse. Amidst these uncomfortable times we should work.
with our Caribbean partners to diversify energy sources, reinforce their economies, and build on a shared security interest. On the legal front, last month the Home authorized H (What is a swap in finance).R. What does ach stand for in finance. This act is developed to increase engagement with the Caribbean that requires the Secretary of State to send a multiyear strategy to Congress for U.S. engagement with the Caribbean areas and update on its U.S. diplomatic effort to engage the eastern Caribbean nations. As a global power, the United States deals with difficulties and threats from every corner of the world. Nevertheless, it is vital that we stay engaged in the Western Hemisphere and not lose sight of our interests so near home. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses on how the U.S. efforts in the Caribbean can enhance http://remingtonbtpe621.tearosediner.net/some-ideas-on-what-does-mm-mean-in-finance-you-should-know and how America can continue to reinforce its partnership with our Caribbean neighbors. Mr. Duncan. I will thank the ranking member, and I will simply state I do not know how numerous other members we are going to have today. We have actually adjourned for the August recess break and we desired 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 believe because no other members reveal up that it isn't a vital concern to the committee and to the subcommittee. And I eagerly anticipate speaking with the witnesses who are extremely well understood to the.
What Does Which Caribbean Nation Is An International Finance Center Do?
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 an essential subject. Thank you for your leadership in general on these problems as well as the Caribbean particularly, and Mr. Ranking Member, you too. It is actually important to have a bipartisan voice on these concerns and we keep in mind that. We take fulfillment in that and thank you for that management, and we ask that that would continue in some method offered the significance of the concerns at hand. The United States does have strategic problems.
in the Caribbean Basin and we don't typically talk about it because method, however in my view they are strategic, from assistance for democratic institutions-- a few of which are rather fragile; a few of which are strong and enduring-- we have security interests including drug trafficking, counterterrorism, the fight against monetary crimes, undoubtedly immigration and humanitarian concerns, energy, the environment, economic advancement; it is how to get out of a timeshare mortgage an extremely wide variety of concerns 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 next-door neighbors in the Caribbean. As you have actually specified and that 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 the ball in the Caribbean. When we have nation states that near to us with like cultures, you know, we value the exact same things, our family worths, things like that, that near to us, and we take the eye off timeshare regrets of that we start losing our competitiveness and we have seen that.
And it is so essential down in that area and we desire people, you know, number one is to be protected in that location. And with the conflicts going on worldwide we do not want them to invade in that location and unfortunately, we are beginning to see that. And I think among 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 all over the world.