Well, as you saw in the previous post, the Secretary of State was all over morning television today. Here are a few of the interviews.
Interview With George Stephanopoulos of ABC's Good Morning America
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
Interview
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
January 14, 2010
Washington, D.C.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, thanks very much for joining us this morning.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, George.
QUESTION: I spoke with the Haitian Ambassador to the United States this morning. He thinks that there are about 100,000 casualties, other estimates as high as 500,000. What’s your best estimate right now?
SECRETARY CLINTON: George, I don’t want to hazard a guess. We know from the analysis we’re doing with the teams that are on the ground there that it’s devastated. There are about 3 million people affected. Thousands and thousands – I don’t want to put a number, but tens of thousands we fear are dead, many thousands more are injured.
When you look at the television pictures that you and others are broadcasting, you see all of this. But when you’re on the ground and you see the roads that are totally impassable, an airport that was knocked out of commission, no air traffic control, trying to piece together the step-by-step, patient work that is necessary to minimize the loss of both life and to try to get people back into some semblance of normalcy, it’s just very hard.
QUESTION: This is a country that’s just going to have to be rebuilt from the ground up, isn’t it?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thankfully, the people of Haiti are a resilient people. I’ve been going down there – I hate to say it – for 35 years. The first time I went was 1975, been back there since. As you know, my husband is the Secretary General of the UN’s Special Envoy to Haiti. And we had a full government effort under the Obama Administration to really help the people of Haiti. We were making a lot of progress. Businesses were returning to Haiti, we had a great plan from the Haitian Government, who is our partner.
And this is devastating on every level, but we’re going to work with President Preval and the Government of Haiti, we’re going to work with the United Nations which has suffered a terrible loss with the collapse of its headquarters, a loss of its leadership, and as we get through this crisis, we’re going to do everything we can to help Haiti rebuild.
QUESTION: You know, you hit on one of the reasons this is just so heartbreaking. You know, Haiti seems to be such a star-crossed country, and every time they seem to be getting back on their feet, most recently after these hurricanes from last year, it seems they get knocked right down again.
SECRETARY CLINTON: George, that is unfortunately a fair observation. We have seen the cycle of hope and despair so many times, but what I have been encouraged by was that under President Preval and their government, they had a plan, it was their own plan, they came to the United States, we reached out to the international community, we had a really coordinated effort with the United Nations. But that’s not going to disappear. We just have to regroup and see what we’re going to do now.
QUESTION: The scale of this effort is going to be massive, isn’t it? You know, we pledged, the United States, about $350 million in aid after the tsunami. Is this going to surpass that?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we don’t know yet. We know it’s going to be very large because of the need, but I think the combination of international donations, the American Government, which is committed, as President Obama has said, and the generosity of the American people – there are about 45,000 American citizens in Haiti. Many of them, of course, are Haitian Americans, but many of them are Americans who are down in Haiti working with church groups, working with nongovernmental organizations on behalf of children or the environment or many of the other needs that Haiti faces. And I’m very proud of our government response and I’m very proud of the outpouring of generosity and concern.
QUESTION: One final question: Of those 45,000 Americans, only several hundred have been in contact with U.S. officials. What more can you tell us about the safety and security of Americans now in Haiti?
SECRETARY CLINTON: I know that there are many worried families, loved ones out there. I have a number we want you to call for information. It’s 1-888-407-4747. Please call that number. Let us know about your loved ones. We will try to get information.
QUESTION: Okay, Madame Secretary. We’ll put that number up on our website as well. Thanks very much for your time this morning.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks, George.
Interview With Meredith Vieira of NBC's Today Show
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
QUESTION: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton cut short a planned overseas trip to deal with the crisis. Madame Secretary, good morning to you.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, Meredith.
QUESTION: You called the devastation in Haiti biblical, and certainly the pictures that we’re seeing from there bear that out. This morning, what reports, if any, are you getting about the loss of life there and the extent of the damage?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, this calamity has affected 3 million people. It has caused the collapse of tens of thousands of buildings. We know that there will be tens of thousands of casualties. We don’t have any exact numbers now. I’m very proud of the U.S. Government response. The President ordered a swift, coordinated, aggressive effort. We’ve got the airport open, thanks to the U.S. military. We’ve got our civilian search-and-rescue teams on the ground, thanks to USAID and FEMA. We are doing all we can to figure out how best to attack the devastation all around.
And this is going to be a long-term effort. We have the immediate crisis of trying to save those lives that can be saved, to deal with the injured and the dead, to try to provide food, water, medical supplies, some semblance of shelter, and then to work with our Haitian partners, the Government of Haiti, NGOs, others to begin the rebuilding process.
QUESTION: You mentioned the Government of Haiti. Right now, we know that many government buildings were badly damaged or destroyed, including the presidential palace and parliament. The president is safe, but there are legislators and ministers who are still among the missing. Is the government effectively up and running at this point? Is there someone in charge? And are you concerned about that?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, the president, thankfully, is safe. He has nowhere to live. His home was in the palace. He is working closely with those members of his government that can be located and communicated with. We have brought in communications systems to try to create some means for the government to function. We’re going to be working closely with the government as well as with the United Nations, which has equally been terribly affected by the loss of life and damage of their facilities, so that we can have authority, we can have government to coordinate the response.
QUESTION: But we are hearing now, Madame Secretary, reports of looting and potential violence. What is the American Government prepared to do to shore up security in Haiti?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thankfully, there already was on the ground about a 7,000-person peacekeeping mission from the United Nations under a Brazilian general’s command. The general was not in Haiti at the time of the earthquake. The United States facilitated his return. He is now back in charge. The peacekeeping force known as MINUSTAH is out on the streets. They’re clearing streets. They’re bringing law and order.
In a situation like this where people are injured, where people are hungry, where people are disoriented, there is often the aftermath of looting and other violence. There hasn’t been a lot of it until perhaps recently, but we’re going to do everything we can with our resources. The 82nd Airborne is getting to Haiti today. The aircraft carrier Carl Vinson will be on the horizon soon. The Coast Guard has performed magnificently in helping to evacuate the injured, particularly American citizens.
So we have a full-court press going on here at the President’s direction. But this is – I don’t want to mislead anybody. This is a devastating catastrophe, and just to figure out what steps to take so we don’t make the situation worse – I mean, it’s like – looking at these collapsed buildings, Meredith, you pull out one piece of wood, you may cause more damage than if you just let it stay there and went in a different way. This is incredibly complex work. We have some of the best people in the world from the United States down there. And we’re just going to do everything we can to be helpful.
QUESTION: All right. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, we thank you so much.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Before you go, could I just say one last word?
QUESTION: Sure, certainly.
SECRETARY CLINTON: I know there are many people watching who are worried about loved ones or family members. For information, please call 1-888-407-4747. And if you wish to help, you can text Haiti, H-a-i-t-i, to 90999. We’ve collected about $3 million for the Red Cross and I thank the generosity of the people of our country.
QUESTION: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, thank you so much for your time. And we’ll put those numbers on our website as well.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Great. Thanks a lot, Meredith.
QUESTION: Thank you.
Interview With Harry Smith and Maggie Rodriguez of CBS' Early Show
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
QUESTION: Right now, we want to switch gears and speak with Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who is coordinating the relief efforts in Haiti. Good morning, Madame Secretary.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, Maggie.
QUESTION: We have heard all morning long from people in Haiti who just want help, and they’re frustrated that it has been slow in arriving. We’ve also heard about the many U.S. resources that have been deployed to Haiti. Can you tell the people there and their relatives watching here in this country when you expect these resources will start to make a difference there?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, they already are. The President ordered a swift, coordinated, aggressive response, and that’s exactly what we’ve been doing. But let me just give you a sense of what we’re up against. The airport lost its air traffic control system, and of course it was damaged. In order to get the airport up and going so we can land the kind of heavy planes with the massive amounts of aid that is needed, we had to send in a military team to get the airport running. That has been accomplished.
You heard about how the port has been damaged. That is a big problem because that prevents us from getting our ships in. We have a team working on that. We also have our crack search-and-rescue teams from FEMA and USAID, from Fairfax County, from Miami-Dade, from L.A. They’re already there on the ground. The Fairfax County team has been working. We’ve got the 82nd Airborne coming in. The Coast Guard has been magnificent.
The depth of it and the extent of it is just unimaginable, as Katie and others are telling you. And depending upon where you are, you may or may not see the results of this coordinated effort. But we’re working closely with the Haitian Government. The president was safe, but many parts of his government are unaccounted for. They have no communications system. We’re bringing the communications system so they can start to talk to one another. We’re working with the United Nations, which was responsible for coordinating aid, which as you know has been devastated with an enormous loss of life.
So I think the American people can be assured that we’re doing everything we can to help the people of Haiti. And it’s not just for the days ahead with the terrible crisis of search and rescue. It’ll be for months and years ahead as we help them rebuild.
QUESTION: I know you’ve also been successful in getting some Coast Guard choppers in there and airlifting some injured Americans. With 45,000 Americans living in Haiti, do you have any idea how many Americans were lost or injured in this earthquake?
SECRETARY CLINTON: No. I mean, the hopeful news is that we don’t have many reports yet. We’ve had a good outreach. It’s called the Warden System, run by the State Department. Our Ambassador and his team is on the ground, trying to track down every American who we have any kind of contact information for. As you know, the cell phones were down, all kinds of difficulties with impassable roads. But we are locating Americans. We are evacuating those Americans who wish to leave. We’ve evacuated some of the injured Americans. And I want to give you a number, Maggie –
QUESTION: Okay.
SECRETARY CLINTON: – so that if people are worried about Americans in Haiti, it’s 1-888-407-4747. Please call that number –
QUESTION: The number the President --
SECRETARY CLINTON: Yes.
QUESTION: -- gave us yesterday, and then we’ve put it up on the screen right now.
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s right. Good, good.
QUESTION: I just have one more quick question: Has there been any discussion about giving Haitian nationals temporary protective status, allowing them temporarily to have asylum in Florida or elsewhere in this country?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we have, as you know, many Haitian Americans. Most are here legally. Some are not documented. And the Obama Administration is taking steps to make sure that people are given some temporary status so that we don’t compound the problem that we face in Haiti.
QUESTION: Secretary Clinton –
SECRETARY CLINTON: But I have to add, Maggie, that we need the help and the generosity of the American people. We have a text messaging system that the State Department set up. It’s Haiti, H-a-i-t-i, to 90999. We’ve raised about $3 million for the Red Cross. That’s what’s needed right now. Please, if you can, contribute. Ten dollars will be billed to your cell phone, and it’s helping us get the food, the water, the medical supplies that we need.
QUESTION: Thank you so much for your time, Secretary Clinton.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
QUESTION: You’re welcome.
Interview With John Roberts of CNN's American Morning
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
QUESTION: Welcome back to the most news in the morning and our continuing coverage of the rescue and relief mission going on right now in Haiti. As the death toll rises, the true extent of the damage is difficult, if not impossible, to assess. The next 24 hours will be critical for survivors. What is America doing to help?
Joining us with an update on the U.S. relief efforts is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, she’s live at the State Department this morning. Madame Secretary, thanks for being with us. I know that you’re very familiar with Haiti. You were there last April. Your husband is the UN envoy to Haiti.
We’re seeing, obviously, a lot of pictures on the ground, talking to some people. But in the overall – the big picture, what’s the situation down there and how capable is the Haitian Government of responding to this?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, John, it’s a devastating situation, there’s no doubt, as you look at the pictures that are coming back that give you a snapshot, and you multiply that over an area that affects about 3 million people and the collapse of tens of thousands of buildings. But we’ve got a very coordinated, aggressive response going on. We have sent some of our crack search-and-rescue teams into Port-au-Prince. They’re beginning their work. We’re coordinating with the Haitian president, President Preval.
Unfortunately, as you know, the government buildings were terribly damaged by the earthquake, a lot of government members unaccounted for, no communications system. We’re supplying a communications system so they can begin to get up and running. We’re working with the United Nations, which was equally devastated by the collapse of their headquarters.
So the authorities that existed before the earthquake are not able to fully function. We’re going to try to support them as they reestablish authority. The peacekeepers, the UN peacekeepers, about 7,000 of them commanded by a Brazilian general, are beginning to clear the roads. Our Coast Guard has been unbelievable. They got there first, as you might guess, being in the area. We’ve got the 82nd Airborne and other military assets coming in. We had a military team reopen the airport so we can start to handle the big heavy planes.
There’s an enormous amount of work going on. I’m very proud of our response. We’re grateful for the international response. But I think we have a long way ahead of us. The next 24 hours is critical to save those lives that can be saved. We know that from other earthquakes and other disasters. But then, we have a long way back to try to deal with the devastation of the loss of life and infrastructure.
QUESTION: Oh, yeah, sure. And I can imagine that that’s a process that’s going to take years if not decades to fully recover when you look at the extent of the devastation and Haiti’s ability to recover from it.
You know, you talk about search-and-rescue, clearing roads, that sort of thing. There’s also an enormous medical need there. What hospitals that remain standing are jammed with people. Doctors Without Borders has got a field hospital set up. But what is the United States doing in terms of bringing down medical teams to help care for the many, many people that we see that are so desperately in need? And our Ivan Watson yesterday had a story of a woman whose foot had been amputated in a collapse and she’d been sitting outside the hospital with a tourniquet around her leg for more than 24 hours.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you’re right. The hospitals in Port-au-Prince have collapsed. There’s a few facilities still opening, but not really capable of handling the surge of need. The other groups are there. The United States is bringing down medical personnel. We have some on the ground right now. I know that there are trauma teams that have been dispatched. We have the Carl Vinson aircraft carrier on the way, which will be able to provide some medical assistance. We’ve got the USS Comfort getting ready to leave to get down there.
But the immediate trauma crisis, we’re trying to meet with volunteer doctors, with medical – with military doctors and others. Because the – and you’re right, I mean, this is a large area involving many, many, many millions of people who have been cut off from access. Just getting to people to provide the medical assistance they need is proving to be very difficult.
QUESTION: And what about the security situation there, Madame Secretary? People have been pretty orderly up until this point, but we’re starting to get now into the end of day two, beginning of day three; people will begin to get desperate as they realize that they don’t have the food, medical, water supplies that they need. It’s a place where security has been shaky anyways. What can the U.S. do to help provide security? Is that why the 82nd Airborne is going down?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, we also have a contingent of about 2,000 Marines going down. We’re going to work with the international peacekeepers under the UN to supplement them in providing security. You’re right that they’ve been basically the police force. Haiti doesn’t have an army. They didn’t have much of a police force. It’s being rebuilt by the United Nations with our assistance.
This is a country that has suffered so many blows. Last year it was four hurricanes. This year, it’s an earthquake. It is hard almost to imagine. But the people of Haiti are resilient. They are a hopeful people. We are going to do everything we can to maintain order. As you say, so far it has been orderly. But in the wake of disasters like this, people do get desperate.
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY CLINTON: If you have a starving baby in your arms, you are going to try to find food wherever you can. So we’re moving as quickly as possible. Once we can get communications up so we can tell people where to go, what kind of help they can expect, we’ll be able to better manage the crisis.
QUESTION: There’s also that issue of the prison that partially collapsed and a lot of criminals roaming free now.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, thanks so much for spending the time this morning. We’ll keep a close eye on what the U.S. is doing in relief efforts.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good. John, one quick thing. For people who are worried about missing friends, family, loved ones, please call 1-888-407-4747. And if you wish to donate, you can text the word Haiti, H-a-i-t-i, to 90999. We’ve raised $3 million. It goes to the Red Cross, which is in desperate need of resources to buy the supplies that the people of Haiti require.
QUESTION: Okay, and we’ll keep reminding people of that all morning.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, great to spend some time with you. Thanks so much.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks, John.
Interview With Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski of MSNBC's Morning Joe
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
QUESTION: Let’s bring in right now the U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Secretary Clinton, thank you so much for being with us. Obviously, you cancelled the trip to Asia to take care of this crisis. Tell us what you’re doing right now and what the United States Government is doing right now to alleviate the misery to our neighbors to the south of us.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thanks, and good morning. I appreciate the coverage that you all have been providing, because the extent of this crisis is nearly unimaginable. It affects about 3 million people.
The President ordered a swift, coordinated, aggressive response. That’s exactly what we’re doing. Our military has reopened the airport, so it’s now able to take the heavy-bodied planes that are going to be bringing in the assistance that’s required. The Coast Guard has been magnificent. They have evacuated some of our injured Americans. We have a crack search-and-rescue team from Fairfax, Virginia on the ground, one from Miami-Dade, another from LA that should be there shortly. The 82nd Airborne, the Marines are on their way.
So what we’re doing is, first and foremost, search and rescue. We’re reaching out to American citizens. There are about 45,000 of them in Haiti. We are also coordinating with the Haitian Government. It’s been devastated. It doesn’t have communications, which we’re trying to provide them, and also with the United Nations, equally devastated by the collapse of their headquarters.
So we’re on the ground, we’re moving to try to survey the situation so that we know what needs to be done. We’re working to provide law and order, to bring in the heavy equipment, to clear the roads. This requires a lot of expertise. I know that your viewers look at these pictures as I do and your heart just goes out to the people of Haiti. And we’re going to be there for the long term. It’s not just what we do today and tomorrow, but what we’re going to be doing for weeks and months ahead.
QUESTION: In the early days of any crisis like this, Americans looking at the pictures try to put it in perspective. It happened in the early days of 2005 with the tsunami. Here, we’re hearing horrific estimates of possible deaths from some high-ranking Haitian officials, anywhere from 100,000 to 500,000. Do you have any idea just the extent of the damage, and at this point, the fatalities there?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Joe, I don’t want to hazard a guess. We know it’s going to be in the tens of thousands, but we don’t know yet the extent of it. We have done some aerial surveying. The area was extremely hard hit, which is the most populated area of Haiti. The construction of buildings were not up to earthquake standards. By contrast, our American Embassy is undamaged. So we are expecting a great number of fatalities and serious injuries.
When you think about how to break this down, our new USAID Administrator, Dr. Raj Shah, who has been on the job less than a week and is doing a tremendous job as he pulls all of this together, we have to think about everything from how you approach a collapsed building and how you try to get water and food to people who are in areas that are not approachable. Do you air drop it; how do you get it there; how do you communicate with people so they know where to go to get help. Most people are without shelter. They’re afraid to go back into their homes. There have been some very serious aftershocks.
So the extent of the planning that has to go into this to make sure that we do the maximum good possible is something that the United States is taking the lead in.
QUESTION: And the planning obviously starts with dealing with those in charge. We have the government buildings there that are in ruins, and the president with no place to live. Who is in charge of coordinating aid? Have you ascertained that? Are you working with a structure of leadership there?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, you’re so right, because the Government of Haiti is not able to function. The president thankfully is alive, but without much government to direct. We’re working closely with him. It is a democratic government. The Haitian Government has to be endowed with authority. But obviously, they need the United States and the United Nations, which is rushing in replacements for the personnel that have been unfortunately lost.
So we will be working closely with the Haitian Government and with the UN. This is going to be a full court press. I spoke with a number of my international colleagues yesterday. They are sending both tangible assistance, like food and water, as well as making cash donations. The United States will be organizing and coordinating a lot of that. We’ve got a 24-hour earthquake task force that is up and running with every part of our government represented and coordinating with other governments, as well as the United Nations and NGOs, which are very active in Haiti.
And I wanted to give you both a number, because people are trying to get information about their loved ones or their friends. It’s 1-888-407-4747. Please call that if you have someone missing. I got a personal call from a friend who had a friend whose niece is on a medical missionary mission in Haiti. They haven’t heard from her. That’s the kind of thing that this number is set up to help respond to.
And similarly, because of the generosity of the American people, the State Department set up a text messaging contribution system. We’ve already raised $3 million for the Red Cross. If you wish to contribute, text the word Haiti, H-a-i-t-i, to 90999, and your cell phone will be charged $10 to help.
QUESTION: All right.
QUESTION: That is a great system there that can generate a lot of support. Secretary Clinton, thank you so much and best of luck to you trying to deal with this disaster of biblical proportions.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, thanks to both of you. Thank you.
QUESTION: Thank you so much. We greatly appreciate it.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thanks.
Interview With Brian Kilmeade, Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy of FOX and Friends
Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
Washington, DC
January 14, 2010
QUESTION: Well, the nation of Haiti lies in ruins this morning after a catastrophic earthquake devastated the region. Buildings and homes have collapsed, and some estimates say the death toll could reach up to half a million people. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been closely involved with long-term development efforts in the region, and she joins us now with the very latest. Good morning to you, Secretary.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Good morning, everyone.
QUESTION: I know that you were overseas on a trip in Hawaii, going on to New Zealand and Australia. And obviously, this devastation brought you back home. The main thing that so many people are wondering today is what about the security and safety of this nation right now in Haiti.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, Gretchen, Haiti has been devastated by this earthquake. Of course, Haiti’s got a tremendous set of problems under any circumstances, but there was a lot of hope that they were beginning to pull out of that. Businesses were going back into Haiti. There was a recovery from the four hurricanes that they had the year before. And then along comes this calamity.
But I’m very encouraged by the positive response. President Obama ordered a coordinated, aggressive response by our government. Obviously, other countries are trying to help as well. The United States is on the ground. We’ve got the airport reopened. The Coast Guard has been magnificent in helping to evacuate people. We’ve got the 82nd Airborne on the way. We’ve got about 2,000 Marines there. We’ve got our crack search-and-rescue teams that are beginning the very laborious process of looking for any survivors in all of this debris.
So there’s a lot that we’re doing to try to help, but I don’t want to in any way mislead people about the extent of this disaster. It is beyond our comprehension as yet, but we’re working hard to get a handle on what exactly happened, what the fatalities are, and what more we can do to help.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, we just ran a picture of their “White House,” and apparently the top two floors collapsed and the president was inside and he got out alive with his wife, their first lady. But over in the parliament building, which also collapsed, their senate leader, their senate president, apparently is trapped alive inside, as are a number of lawmakers. And it makes you wonder, well, who exactly is running the government, as it is.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Right. Well, that’s a fair question because the government’s been destroyed. They have no communications system. The president did get out alive, but most of his government is unaccounted for. That’s why the United States is in close communication with him. Our ambassador has been working with him. We’re bringing down not only communications systems so that they can begin to try to piece together governmental authority, but we’re also coordinating with the United Nations. You probably know that there was a very large mission in the – from the United Nations, about 7,000 peacekeeping troops. Their commander was out of Haiti; the United States got him back. So he’s now back in charge. They’re providing law and order. They’re beginning to clear roads. The United Nations is sending more of their expert personnel.
So the United States is providing a lot of the glue that is keeping people communicating and working together as we try to assert authority, reinstate the government, and begin to do what governments have to do to rebuild and reconstruct this damaged country.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, I guess the numbers are – we’ve given as a country without a crisis $9 billion to Haiti over the last three years. Now again, we’re leading the charge, sending in Marines. And that’s what the U.S. does. Knowing your career, it doesn’t surprise me that you’re leading this effort. But where’s Russia? Where’s China? Where’s the EU? Where’s India? Where are these emerging nations that are in so much competition with us economically, but we’re the only ones who seem to write the big checks when it comes to aid?
SECRETARY CLINTON: Well, this one’s in our neighborhood, so of course, you would expect us to be very focused on it. But, for example, a Chinese plane landed today with a lot of material. They had their own devastating earthquakes about a year and a half ago. So they’re sending assistance. We have people on the ground from the United Kingdom, from France, from Brazil, from elsewhere. I’ve been making a round of calls to my counterparts. Canada is extremely involved and supportive.
We have a lot of the international community coming in with either direct assistance or making pledges of money. And that’s another thing that we’re going to be coordinating. It’s one of the tasks that I have ahead of me, to try to make sure that the good intentions and the generosity of the American people, first and foremost, but then of the international community, is put to good use.
QUESTION: Right.
SECRETARY CLINTON: And I think it’s wonderful that we have such a generous nation, even though I know that people in our own country are in many ways suffering because of our economic recession. Once again, we set up a text messaging account to assist the Red Cross right after the earthquake, about 38 hours ago, and we’ve already raised $3 million.
QUESTION: Wow.
SECRETARY CLINTON: And if your viewers want to help, they can text Haiti, H-a-i-t-i, to 90999. This is going to be a partnership, as it always is in our country, between our government and our people. And we’re worried about the Haitian people. We’re worried about our American citizens. But we’re going to be on the ground in force, and we’re going to do everything we can to try to help alleviate this.
QUESTION: Madame Secretary, speaking of all of these pledges and money, because, as Brian mentioned, $9 billion has gone to this country over the last couple of years, how can Americans be reassured that this money, the money that they may give, is going to get into the right hands and not just to the rich rulers, potentially, of Haiti, but to actually the poor people who need it?
SECRETARY CLINTON: That’s a great question. And that money that you’ve referenced is over a number of years. It goes back quite a few years. But it still is a fair question. And what is especially disheartening about what we see now is that we were on the track to what I thought of as probably the most accountable, effective, effort that we have seen.
It’s somewhat ironic that my husband happens to be the UN envoy for the secretary general, and between the United Nations, the United States, and the Haitian Government and people, we had a really good system going. We had businesses investing in Haiti again. We were on the upswing. And unfortunately, this terrible disaster has occurred.
QUESTION: Sure.
SECRETARY CLINTON: But we have systems in place now to be able to track the money, to hold it accountable, to look for results. We’re doing that across the board. I’m revamping our aid system so that I can look you in the eye and the American taxpayer in the eye and say look, I’m not going to spend a penny unless I have some confidence that it’s going to go to the right place. In a disaster like this, you have to put in a lot of resources.
QUESTION: Sure.
SECRETARY CLINTON: But once we get through the immediate crisis and we begin the rebuilding/reconstruction period, we’re going to be doing this in a way that accounts for the money that the United States Government spends.
QUESTION: All right. Hillary Clinton, the Secretary of State, thank you very much for joining us this morning. We know you are going to be really busy leading up efforts in Haiti. Thank you for joining us today.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Nice to talk to you.
QUESTION: You bet.
SECRETARY CLINTON: Thank you.
