New House Resolution Opposes Easing Cuba Sanctions
Rep. Maria Salazar, R-Fla., introduced a resolution last week opposing the lifting of sanctions against Cuba or the removal of Cuba from the State Department’s state sponsors of terrorism list.
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The resolution cites a host of concerns about Cuba, including its continued repression of internal political dissent and its “mutually supportive relationships” with foreign terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Colombia’s National Liberation Army. It also mentions Cuba's ties to the other three countries on the state sponsors of terrorism list: Iran, North Korea and Syria.
The legislation calls on the U.S. government “to use every diplomatic tool to persuade foreign governments and international organizations to join its efforts and coordinate activities to bring freedom and democracy to Cuba.”
The resolution, which has 11 co-sponsors, was referred to the House Foreign Affairs and Ways and Means committees. Salazar chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.
Salazar said last month that she’s worried the Biden administration plans to remove Cuba from the state sponsors of terrorism list, which subjects the country to certain sanctions and trade restrictions (see 2406280003). She has also criticized the administration’s recent decision to give some in Cuba’s private sector access to the U.S. financial system, saying such entities are generally controlled by, and enrich, the country’s communist government (see 2405290080).