JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- Jacksonville Rep. Corrine Brown is apologizing for the harsh words directed at members of the Bush administration, but stands by her statement that U.S. policy towards Haiti is "racist."

Brown's outburst came Wednesday in Washington, during a closed briefing on the Haiti crisis. Comments attributed to Brown included calling Assistant Secretary of State Roger Noriega a racist and, and representatives of the administration as "a bunch of white men."

Noriega, the State Department's top official for Latin American, told Brown he was offended, since he is a Mexican-American. Brown responded by saying, "You all look alike to me."

"It was a heated exchange. I apologize," Brown told Channel 4's Jim Piggott Thursday morning. "It wasn't meant to be a racist comment. I was speaking of the delegation that came over from the State Department. They brought no females; no one of color came over in that group. Based on the presentations, it was totally insensitive to the government of Haiti."

BROWN'S STATEMENT ON HAITI  Brown -- who represents a congressional district that stretches from Jacksonville to Orlando -- made the following statement in a meeting between Bush and the Congressional Black Caucus: "Ever since I was elected, I have advocated on behalf of the Haitian people, and it simply outrages me that Haiti has been nothing more than a stepchild to policy makers in the State Department. "While Cubans gain access to U.S. Citizenship by merely stepping on land in Florida, Haitian immigrants are not just detained indefinitely when they try to come to the United States, but they are mercilessly sent back to the island. "The Congressional Black Caucus is requesting a 'humanitarian zone,' an area where food and medical supplies can be delivered to the Haitian populace. We do not see this issue as a question of supporting or not supporting President Aristide. The island of Haiti needs our help, and we cannot afford to stand by while a blood bath takes place just a few hundred miles off our shores."

She said she's angry Bush is spending $200 billion in Iraq while doing nothing to help Haiti, where rebel fighters are trying to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

U.S. Rep. Mark Foley, R-West Palm Beach, who organized the meeting, called the comments "disappointing."

"To sit there and browbeat this man who is a Mexican-American and call him names, it was inappropriate," Foley said.

While she told Channel 4 Thursday that she had sent a written apology to Noriega, the State Department would not confirm receipt of the letter. A spokesman said the agency doesn't comment on "intergovernmental communication of that sort."

The chairman of the Democratic Party in Duval County admits that the congresswoman doesn't always say things that are politically correct, but stands behind Brown's statement.

"I don't know if I would comment on them as racist, but I do think they were inappropriate in light of the fact that she is frustrated with the President's policy with regard to Haiti," Clyde Collins said.

Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, said Brown should resign.

"Congresswoman Brown's comments demonstrate a complete lack of ethnic sensitivity. This irresponsible statement represents a step backward for race relations," Bonilla said.