HIALEAH GARDENS- The Floridian spoke to U.S. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar on the eve of the anniversary of the largest pro-Democracy Cuban demonstrations in decades during a bipartisan roundtable to discuss the plight of the Cuban people.
Representative Salazar, an American citizen born of Cuban political refugees, spoke about the poor state of affairs on the Caribbean island and a pathway she is trailblazing to improve it.
Salazar expressed frustration at President Joe Biden’s ambivalence regarding Cuba. “Biden’s administration needs to understand that Cuba remains a threat that has now opened its doors to China,” stated Salazar. What’s more, Salazar explained how “China already has four spy bases in Cuba and on top of that Cuba is now considering abandoning the island to the Chinese for them to train Chinese troops.”
“No White House can permit that, and that is what is happening now due to this administration’s lack of interest specifically in Cuba,” chided Salazar.
Instead, Salazar is proposing legislation that seeks to incentivize democratization instead of rewarding regimes antithetical to American values. Free trade agreements would be negotiated with countries demonstrating a pro-democracy record.
“We’re talking about a great legislative initiative where we’re offering countries with a democratic framework to join a class of nations sharing free trade agreements, such as those already afforded to Mexico and Canada,” explained Salazar. Salazar also told The Floridian, adding “a necessary requirement for entering into such agreements will be playing by the rules, and by that, democratic ones."
Speaking in Spanish to the general public via Twitter, Salazar claimed she has a “plan to help the economies of Latin America. If they do well, so do we. Tell me what you think of this project.”
Tenemos un plan para ayudar a las economías de América Latina. Si a ellos le va bien, a nosotros también. Dígame qué le parece este proyecto. pic.twitter.com/aUJI8ykmzw
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) July 5, 2023
The Legislation was officially introduced in the US Senate by Senator Bill Cassidy as the “America’s Act”. It would reportedly “promote trade, investment, and people to people relationships” whilst strengthening democracies across the Americas.
House Foreign Affairs Committee members, including Salazar and others, will lobby for its passage in the House.
