Put party politics aside. Haiti needs our help.

The catastrophe that is Haiti is real, as are the humanitarian and security repercussions for Florida. So, Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott were justified in asking how the Biden administration planned to address the burgeoning crisis, in a letter that could be described as both strongly worded and, unfortunately, counterproductive.

"Your entire administration can be summed up as this: You create a magnet for illegal immigration here, appease evil regimes and put the American people at risk, while further expecting taxpayers to pay for the unrest, humanitarian crises and mass border crossings that result," the March 15 letter reads. It goes on to raise valid questions about preventing a mass migration of Haitians into the United States, preventing criminals from entering and dealing with those individuals who make it to our shores. "As we watch the tragic events in Haiti unfold, we and many of our fellow Floridians are concerned that your administration will continue this dangerous record."

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Asking the Biden administration for a plan is one thing. Rehashing the hyperbole all too common in a Congress that finds it easier to point fingers than address problems, is something else entirely. Haiti is a foreign disaster that is ill-served by partisan sniping. The Biden administration and Florida's Republican senators need to share their best ideas and deal with the issue — Haiti.

Haiti is a nation in turmoil. Food is in short supply. There is no functioning government. Armed gangs control the streets and demand roles in any new government. The island nation is awash in death, violence and poverty, and the U.S. is an attractive haven for safety and second chances. Our country is home to an estimated 1.1 million people of Haitian descent, according to 2021 Census data. Almost half of them live in Florida.

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Truth is, the Biden administration, along with much of the international community, were caught flatfooted when Prime Minister Ariel Henry was forced to resign. The crisis came amid seemingly perpetual divisions in Washington. Last week, congressional Republicans blocked $40 million in security assistance that the Biden administration had requested last year to help stabilize Haiti. Republican lawmakers insist the that Biden administration hasn't explained how the money would be spent in Henry's absence. The administration counters that it has provided briefings and updates to address ongoing concerns and that it simply needs Congress to act.

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If this sounds like the refrain of a divided, do-nothing Congress, it should.

Earlier this month, congressional Republicans showed their preference for sticking it to Biden rather than enacting a compromise they initially wanted to help resolve the immigration crisis at the southern border. After Senate Republicans won major concessions from their Democratic counterparts on a bill that included new restrictions on border crossings, higher legal standard of proof to pass initial screenings for asylum, and a new process in which select asylum claims could bypass the immigration court system, House Republicans rejected the compromise. And after Former President Donald Trump pronounced that the bill would be a victory for Biden, Senate Republicans, including Rubio and Scott, voted to kill the deal altogether, making clear that Republican strategy preferred affixing blame to finding solutions.

Given the looming crisis, bridging the partisan divide shouldn't be this hard. In Rubio, Florida already has a senator who understands the complexity of the crisis. He's worked with Democratic senators to ensure trade benefits for Haiti and on security legislation that requires the U.S. Department of State to identify the relationships between Haiti's elites and criminal gangs. His frustration is understandable, even if the tone of his letter with Scott is not.

"It's an unfair question in many cases, but what is the Biden Administration's plan or view of what the solution here is?" Rubio asked during a Senate Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere hearing last summer. "Frankly I'm at a loss for understanding. This isn't a blame assignment. This is a testament to the intricacy of this problem, how difficult it is."

It's a question that should prompt an answer from both the Biden administration and Republicans in Congress. Because, the longer they dither in the air conditioned comfort of Washington, the longer the unspeakable suffering worsens in Haiti.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Florida should help Haiti and put different opinions aside.