The House Foreign Affairs Committee has passed Representative Adriano Espaillat’s bill, the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Authorization Act.
This legislation would allocate nearly $75,000,000 per year from 2022 through 2026 to improve security cooperation with Caribbean nations and combat illicit drug trafficking, support justice sector reform and strengthen the rule of law, and address instability caused by natural disasters.
“This bill is vital to combatting drug trafficking, promoting good governance and independent justice sectors, and empowering civil society in the Caribbean,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13). “Too often the Caribbean is ignored, and we must correct this by deepening our partnerships and cooperation with some of our closest allies. Working together, we can help increase citizen security, build resilience to natural disasters caused by climate change, and improve strategies to reduce illegal narcotics trafficking.”
Earlier this year, Rep. Espaillat successfully secured a $5.2 million increase for the CBSI in the House Appropriations Committee legislation, and has worked over the past few years to boost the program’s funding by nearly 40 percent. This bill would codify these funding increases and improve the efficacy and focus of CBSI to address continuing concerns in the region. It will incorporate efforts to promote disaster resiliency given increasing and worsening hurricanes in the region that threaten long-term security.
Read the bill in its entirety here.
Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the northwest Bronx.
First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities.
He is also a member of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip.
Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/
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