Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) is once again directing criticism at Colombia’s government. Taking issue with President Gustavo Petro, Rep. Salazar called his socialist policies destructive.
When Colombian President Gustavo Petro visited the Capitol, Rep. Salazar was one of many lawmakers who grilled him over his socialist policies. As the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee chair, Salazar chaired a hearing to examine and discuss the policies the president has enacted in Colombia.
“When looking at Colombia, a major course correction is needed,” Salazar warned. “Over the last 30 years, Colombia has made incredible progress,” she noted, adding that “a new era of prosperity, democracy, and security swept over this critical country.”
However, with the election of Petro and his subsequent policies, Salazar says that Colombia could be facing troubling times.
“It looks like that will all be erased, and there is one man to blame: President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego,” she said.
Several officials from the Biden administration were called to testify regarding the matter, and Salazar took issue with the Biden administration ceasing to monitor coca production in Colombia. That has been a bipartisan U.S. policy for decades.
As well, the Florida Republican criticized the Petro administration for its “laissez-faire” approach to drug production in Colombia, and Salazar also took issue with Petro for not only propping up Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro but for also negotiating with el Clan del Golfo, which is the largest drug trafficking and human trafficking organization in Colombia.
Petro, a former M-19 guerrilla terrorist turned Colombian president in 2022, was accused of creating “a bleak future for Colombia” according to a press release from Salazar. The press release goes on to argue that Petro has aligned himself with and supported “the enemies of liberty in Latin America” while pushing for radical reforms of key sectors including energy and healthy, which threatens the future prosperity of Colombia.
