Brooklyn, N.Y. – Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement in celebration of the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller, Prime Minister of Jamaica, visiting the United States Congress.

During the reception, Prime Minister Simpson Miller commended the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) for supporting Jamaica in its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which resulted in approval of $923.3 million arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility for Jamaica on May 1, 2013.

Congresswoman Clarke was joined by CBC Chairman G.K. Butterfield, former CBC Chairwoman Maxine Waters, and other members of the CBC, as well as David Lipton, First Deputy Managing Director of the IMF, Francisco Palmieri, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Caribbean and Central America in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, and other members of the delegation from Jamaica, including the Honorable Dr. Stephen Vasciannie, Ambassador to the United States and Lorna Johnson, Honorary Consul of the Consulate of Jamaica in Los Angeles.

Congresswoman Clarke introduced Prime Minister Simpson Miller in the following remarks (as prepared):

“Today, I have the distinct honor of introducing a woman whose leadership has been invaluable to Jamaica and its people, the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller. A trailblazer in public service, a born in Wood Hall in St. Catherine Parish, Prime Minister Simpson Miller has dedicated her life to a career in public service. Elected to Parliament in 1976 as a member of the People’s National Party, the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller was named Minister of Labour, Welfare, and Sports in 1989, was Vice President of her party and the leader of its Women’s Movement for more than twenty years and a member of the Order of the Nation.

“As a Member of Parliament, Leader of the Opposition, and now Prime Minister, she has focused on building a future in which every young woman and every young man has an opportunity to participate in the economy, in politics, and in the general life of the civil society. Prime Minister Simpson Miller developed the Master Plan for Sustainable Tourism Development, worked to reform local governments for the Twenty-First Century, and expanded the Overseas Work Programme and National Insurance Scheme to supporting working families.

“For a generation of women and girls, Prime Minister Simpson Miller has been an inspiration, a demonstration that their contributions are critical to our civil society. My friends and colleagues, please welcome the Honorable Portia Simpson Miller.”

U.S. Representative Yvette D. Clarke is a member of the House Committee on Small Business, Ethics, and Homeland Security, where she is the Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Infrastructure Protection, and Security Technologies. She represents many neighborhoods in central and southern Brooklyn, NY which include Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Flatbush, Gerritsen Beach, Madison, Midwood, parts of Park Slope and Flatlands, Prospect Heights, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Sheepshead Bay, and Windsor Terrace.