NEWS FROM CONGRESSMAN ELIOT ENGEL

ENGEL STATEMENT ON TRUMP’S DECISION TO END TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS FOR HAITIANS LIVING IN U.S.

  Representative Eliot L. Engel, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the President’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians living in the United States:

“The Trump Administration’s decision to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitians living in the United States is cruel and inhumane.  I visited Haiti following its devastating 2010 earthquake and have been a longtime proponent of U.S. assistance to the island.  It sadly seems that whenever the country takes a step forward, natural disasters—like Hurricane Matthew last fall—force it to take a step back.  Haiti is simply not in a position to take back the 59,000 Haitians currently living in the United States. 

“Unfortunately, President Trump has chosen cruelty over kindness in terminating TPS for so many hardworking Haitian families.  The America that I know is a land of acceptance where opportunities are available for one and all.  Cutting off TPS for Haitians does not represent who we are as a country.”

Engel Statement on FCC Plan to Destroy Net Neutrality

   Congressman Eliot L. Engel, a top member on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following statement on reports that the Federal Communications Commission plans to reverse all rules pertaining to net neutrality:

“For months we suspected the FCC, under the leadership of Chairman Ajit Pai, would make some type of move to weaken net neutrality. Today’s reporting not only confirms those suspicions, but indicates their plan is about as bad as it can get.

“Net neutrality is a critical protection for consumers, one that prevents Internet Service Providers (ISP) from charging extra for certain websites and data usage. Without net neutrality, an ISP could decide to institute a tiered system for your internet access, blocking websites like Netflix and forcing you to pay extra to use them. Repealing net neutrality rules would also allow those same ISP’s to throttle—or slow down—your internet access if it suits them, or offer other consumers who are willing to pay more priority access to certain parts of the web. Clearly, this would be harmful to consumers. This proposal would also limit innovation, reduce competition among ISPs, and make the internet a less open place.

“Millions have people across the country have spoken out against repealing net neutrality, but the FCC, Chairman Pai, and the Trump Administration have chosen to ignore what the American people want. This cannot stand. We must preserve net neutrality now, and for future generations.”