María Elvira Salazar U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 27th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
María Elvira Salazar U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 27th district | Official U.S. House Headshot
Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar has reintroduced the Fighting Oppression until the Reign of Castro Ends (FORCE) Act. This legislation aims to prevent any U.S. administration from normalizing relations with Cuba until liberty and democracy are restored in the country.
The bill, which was also cosponsored by several representatives including Chris Smith, Carlos A. Giménez, Keith Self, John Rutherford, Joe Wilson, Michael McCaul, Ryan Zinke, Cory Mills, Mario Díaz-Balart, Randy Weber, Scott Franklin, Ann Wagner, Claudia Tenney, Darrell Issa, Dan Crenshaw, Stephanie Bice, Steve Womack, Tim Burchett, Brian Fitzpatrick and Mike Lawler seeks to maintain Cuba's designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
Chairwoman Salazar criticized the Biden Administration for removing this designation from Cuba. She stated that it is crucial to ensure that Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel does not have the resources to continue repressing the Cuban people.
“It is clear that with President Biden’s betrayal of the Cuban community on the island and in exile," said Salazar. "The need to keep the regime on the State Sponsors of Terrorism List until freedom is restored is more necessary than ever.”
The FORCE Act stipulates that Cuba must meet certain conditions outlined in Section 205 of the LIBERTAD Act before being removed from the terrorism list. These conditions include releasing all political prisoners and allowing investigations by international human rights organizations; transitioning away from the Castro regime; and committing to free and fair elections.
Salazar emphasized that these requirements align with existing U.S. law regarding lifting embargoes and sanctions against Cuba.
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