Committee questions State Department strategy after Office of Haitian Affairs was eliminated

House Foreign Affairs Committee members pressed the State Department about the elimination of the Office of Haitian Affairs and asked how the department will maintain focused attention on Haiti’s ongoing crisis.

A committee member said that closing the dedicated Haiti office amid rising violence, arms flows and drug trafficking in the region appeared contrary to the need for intensive engagement. The member asked whether personnel with Haiti expertise would remain assigned to the issue and whether the same attention and mitigation procedures would be maintained given the office’s proximity and impact on South Florida.

The under secretary said the functions of the Office of Haitian Affairs were absorbed into the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs and that the department had assigned Ambassador Henry Wooster to oversee Haiti-related efforts and to coordinate a whole-of-government approach. “It has the same attention for sure. The functions of the Office of Haiti Affairs have been absorbed into the full bureau and these functions are continuing,” the under secretary said.

Committee members pressed the witness on whether closing the office reduced dedicated personnel or expertise; the under secretary said the bureau remains responsible for Haiti and that Ambassador Wooster has been assigned to evaluate and coordinate the response. The under secretary said the department had been working on Haiti issues while the assignment and analysis took place.

Lawmakers said they would seek additional detail about staffing changes, mitigation procedures, and how the department will ensure continuity of expertise and operations in the field.