North Miami-Dade News

WASHINGTON, D.C.– On April 19, 2023, Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-26), Chairman of the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations Subcommittee in Congress and Co-Chair of the Congressional Colombia Caucus, was joined by his colleagues from the Colombia Caucus in a meeting with Colombia's President Gustavo Petro to express the importance of the close U.S.-Colombia partnership and raise concerns about the actions and comments from Colombia's new president.

"As co-chair of the Congressional Colombia Caucus, I joined a caucus meeting today with Colombia's newly elected president in respect for the longstanding relationship between the United States and Colombia, our close ties to the Colombian people, and to express my grave concerns directly with the new government. Since the highly successful Plan Colombia, the United States has provided more than $13 billion in assistance to promote security, eradicate drug trafficking, and combat terrorism in Colombia. However, the actions and comments from Colombia's new president have put the largely successful U.S.-Colombia relationship in jeopardy.

"As Chairman of the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Subcommittee, I will not permit U.S. taxpayer dollars to support a government in Colombia that sustains the Maduro regime with intelligence-sharing or funding, allows Russia a foothold in the country, partners with the Cuban regime to facilitate human trafficking, or that enables drug trafficking and production.

"Should the current president decide to support malign, anti-American actors in our hemisphere, then he will be responsible for destroying the foundation of our countries' relationship."

Original source can be found here.