Lawmakers continue to discuss the growing tension that is taking place in Cuba. A bipartisan group of lawmakers has denounced the Castro regime and the conversation regarding how best the United States can help continues. This week, on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives, Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R) noted that he wants President Joe Biden (D) to show “solidarity" because “the people of Cuba are standing up for freedom and suffering horrific consequences for it.”
On Twitter, the Florida Republican shared his statement, writing that “the Cuban people are not out on the streets risking their lives for remittances… They’re risking it all for FREEDOM!” Diaz-Balart also added that “President Biden must show leadership and solidarity with the Cuban people.”
The Cuban people are not out on the streets risking their lives for remittances…They’re risking it all for FREEDOM! President Biden must show leadership and solidarity with the Cuban people. #SOSCuba 🇨🇺 pic.twitter.com/axoXIFzS0G
— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) July 20, 2021
Many GOP members expressed their disappointment at the response from the White House.
In the President’s statement, Biden said that “the United States calls on the Cuban regime to hear their people and serve their needs at this vital moment rather than enriching themselves” because the Cuban people are calling “for freedom and relief from the tragic grip of the pandemic and from the decades of repression and economic suffering to which they have been subjected by Cuba’s authoritarian regime.”
In speaking on the House floor, Diaz-Balart further explained that the Cuban people are “getting murdered in the streets by the regime, they’re getting killed in their homes by the regime.”
The Florida Congressman commented that what he’s “pleading right now with the President of the United States is for some solidarity,” questioning, “where is his leadership?”
“Access to internet” is a response that he proposed in his statement, which echoes a response that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) has also shared.
Ultimately, Diaz-Balart commented that “this President ran saying that he was going to renew a new era of diplomacy,” so he questions “why is he not rallying the world?”
"Mr. President. The is a moment of leadership. Stand with the Cuban people." concluded Diaz-Balart
