North Miami-Dade News

Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) reiterated her request for the State Department to provide her office with all communications between the U.S. Embassy in Havana and the small business MadWoman. The young man was fired by MadWoman for protesting the Cuban dictatorship on his personal social media account.

“It occurs that the U.S. Embassy in Havana hired a company called MadWoman, a supposed independent ‘MIPYME’ that fired an employee for criticizing the Castro regime on social media,” said Chairwoman Salazar. “To fully understand the relationship between the Embassy and Madwoman, my office must be allowed to review all their shared communications. I have yet to hear a response.”

On February 16, 2024, Chairwoman Salazar sent a letter to President Biden criticizing the partnership between the U.S. Embassy in Havana and MadWoman. In the letter, Salazar emphasized the risks of doing business with such entities in Cuba and demanded the Embassy cancel all contracts with MadWoman by April 1, 2024.

Despite the deadline approaching, the State Department has not provided the requested communications. During a hearing on the State Department’s compliance with congressional oversight, Salazar underlined the importance of this issue to her constituents, particularly the Cuban exile community.

The Congresswoman's insistence on transparency and accountability underscores her commitment to ensuring that the interests of her constituents are represented in matters concerning US-Cuba relations.