Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (25th District of FLORIDA)
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart (FL-26), Vice Chair of the House Appropriations Committee and Chairman of the National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs Subcommittee (NSRP), along with Representatives Carlos A. Giménez (FL-28) and María Elvira Salazar (FL-27) sent a letter to the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) at the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) at the U.S. Department of Commerce demanding a full review and immediate action to deny any licenses that allow U.S. persons or entities to conduct business with the Cuban regime, a designated State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Read the full letter here or below.
Congressman Mario Díaz-Balart said, “I said it during President Trump’s first term, and I will say it again: I am convinced the anti-American dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua will not survive another term of bold and decisive American leadership under President Trump.
“The Cuban regime is weaker today than it has ever been. History makes clear that there is only one approach that works against brutal dictatorships: zero tolerance and maximum pressure.
“That means enforcing U.S. law, which prohibits all businesses from dealing with the Cuban regime and cutting off every dollar that props up a State Sponsor of Terrorism, as Congress mandated in the LIBERTAD Act of 1996.”
Congressman Carlos A. Giménez said, “President Trump’s decisive actions have brought us closer than ever to the collapse of the Communist regime in Cuba. We’re asking to shutdown every source of income the regime uses to repress the Cuban people. Close the valve of free oil from Venezuela, close the valve of flight and remittances, and close the valve of these businesses shipping luxury products from the US to Cuba, which undermines the intent of Congress and President Trump’s common-sense policy against the regime. God willing, the Castro regime will not survive these four years of President Donald J. Trump!”
Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar said, “U.S. law is clear: sanctions exist to deny economic support to the Cuban dictatorship until real democratic change occurs. That is why we are urging the Administration to review and revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly benefit regime-controlled entities, strengthen scrutiny of future licenses, and fully enforce the LIBERTAD Act. Every dollar denied to the regime brings the Cuban people one step closer to freedom.”
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