Florida lawmakers are paying tribute to Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado as she continues resisting Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro's regime.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) simultaneously commended Machado.
The support for Machado derives from her being named by TIME Magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
TIME published an honorific piece Secretary Rubio authored honoring Machado, in which he called her Venezuela’s “Iron Lady.”
“María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan Iron Lady, is the personification of resilience, tenacity, and patriotism,” said Rubio. “Undeterred by formidable challenges, María Corina has never backed down from her mission of fighting for a free, fair, and democratic Venezuela.”
Machado has been in hiding due to fierce persecution from the Venezuelan regime after they barred her from participating in the presidential elections despite winning a landslide primary elections victory.
Machado thanked Rubio for his praise and claimed his words are “a tribute to the millions of Venezuelan men and women who have fought—often in silence, always with courage—for dignity, liberty, and justice.”
Machado also highlighted Rubio’s consistent support for Venezuela’s democratic opposition, stating that Rubio has “stood firm in the just cause of freedom” and that his “steadfast commitment to Venezuela’s democratic aspirations has never faltered.”
Representatives Salazar and Diaz-Balart similarly praised Machado.
The former praised Machado’s “courage and resilience” while the latter called her the “indisputable leader of the Venezuelan people.”
Machado responded by publicly thanking both Salazar and Diaz-Balart for their continued support.
Republicans and President Donald Trump have begun leveraging diplomatic and economic pressure on Venezuela’s government to support the Democratic opposition forces.
The latest action from the Trump administration was announcing new ‘secondary tariffs’ on Venezuela that impose a general 25% levy on exports from any country purchasing Venezuelan oil.
The tariffs have been projected to potentially incite a recession, which could bolster the ongoing Venezuelan discontent with the Maduro regime, ultimately leading to a change of government.
