Today, Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar ( R-FL ) released the following statement on U.S.-Cuba policy following remarks from the Biden Administration's National Security Council's Senior Director for the Western Hemisphere, Juan Gonzalez.
In a recent CNN in Spanish interview, Gonzalez said that he had been instructed by the President to soften current U.S. policy towards Cuba including: summary of regular travel, summary of remittances, and the reopening of the U.S. Embassy in Havana.
"While the Castro regime is violently repressing its people, sponsoring terrorism across the region, and attacking American diplomats, changing U.S.-Cuba policy is reckless and emboldens the murderous dictatorship," said Congresswoman Salazar. "In March, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, swing under oath that he would not change U.S.-Cuba policy without consulting with Congress first. President Biden must commit to holding the Castro regime accountable for its crimes, not reward the dictatorship with its wish list of concessions."
The U.S. halted most Consular Services in Havana following the discovery of sonic attacks directed at U.S. diplomats stationed in Cuba. These attacks, known as the "Havana Syndrome" left at least 26 American diplomatic personnel with loss of hearing and permanent brain damage. For safety precautions, there is only a skeleton crew currently stationed in Havana.
In a March 2021 hearing of the U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, testified under oath, that he would not pursue changing U.S.-Cuba Policy without prior consultation with Congress and without consulting with Cuban-American community that Rep. Salazar represents in Florida.
The Castro regime was relisted as a State Sponsor of Terrorism ( SST ) in January 2021 for its involvement in terrorist activities in Venezuela, Colombia, and Nicaragua. Additionally, U.S. policy prohibits persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction from sending remittances to Communist Cuba through firms that work with Cuban military-controlled companies. Prior to 2020, Cuban military officials received a 10% cut of all remittances sent from the United States.
Congresswoman Salazar currently represents Florida's beautiful 27th Congressional district which includes most of the City of Miami, its suburbs, and the beaches. She serves on the House Committee on Foreign Affair and is the only woman to serve on the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Original source can be found here.
