U.S. Representative Mark Green (R-TN-07) and two other members of Congress on Friday sent President Joe Biden a letter urging him to implement a Cuba policy that holds the regime accountable for its human rights abuses and support for authoritarian regimes in the region.
Joining Green in sending the letter were U.S. Representatives August Pfluger (R-TX-11) and Maria Salazar (R-FL-27), according to a statement issued by Green, ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. Pfluger and Salazar are members of the subcommittee as well.
Green tweeted, “Joined @RepPfluger @RepMariaSalazar in urging President Biden to recognize the threat Cuba’s communist regime poses and implement a policy that holds Cuba accountable for its continued human rights abuses and support for authoritarian regimes.”
✍️Joined @RepPfluger @RepMariaSalazar in urging President Biden to recognize the threat Cuba's communist regime poses and implement a policy that holds Cuba accountable for its continued human rights abuses and support for authoritarian regimes: pic.twitter.com/SufD5uuAuG
— Rep. Mark Green (@RepMarkGreen) February 26, 2021
The letter is available in its entirety here.
In their letter, the lawmakers expressed concern about the threat Cuba’s communist dictatorship poses to the national security of the United States and the stability of the Western Hemisphere. The letter urges Biden to take the steps necessary to restrict the flow of U.S. dollars to the Cuban military, maintain designations that hold the regime accountable for its support for global terrorism, and continue support for democracy on the island.
The list of human rights violations by Cuba’s communist regime is extensive and includes the suppression and torture of political dissidents without due process or adherence to the rule of law. Further, political dissidents are held in notoriously atrocious prison conditions. The Cuban people are also denied access to independent news information and the internet is highly restricted and monitored by the state.
The Cuban dictatorship also has a history of exporting its oppressive system and undermining the region’s democracies. There is no clearer example of this today than in Venezuela, where Cuba directly supports the Maduro regime’s human rights abuses and violent suppression of political dissent. Support for the Maduro regime in Venezuela contributes to instability in the region and facilitates the operations of transnational criminal and terrorist organizations that threaten U.S. national security interests. The United States must not tolerate these malign activities.
Given the serious nature of the threat posed by the Cuban dictatorship, we urge you to maintain the policies enacted by the previous administration and not revert to the failed appeasement policy of the Obama Administration.
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Jason M. Reynolds has more than 20 years’ experience as a journalist at outlets of all sizes.
