Following the recent announcement by the Joe Biden administration of a change in its policy towards Cuba and Venezuela, and the relaxation of sanctions, Democratic Senator Bob Menendezchairman of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, considered that andhe Biden government runs the risk of “sending the wrong message” about the country’s position in the face of the threat to democracy in the hemisphere and said that the White House decision is a mistake.
Facing Cuba, the legislator from President Biden’s party affirmed that “Díaz-Canel continues his ruthless persecution of protestersand has approved that the Penal Code be modified, can lead to the death of anyone who exercises freedom of expression”.
To the decision to relax the sanctions on Venezuela, Menéndez said that if Biden wants to promote respect for human rights, he does not have to do anything with the Madur regimeeither. “I don’t think we should be doing anything with Nicolás Maduro, who is sanctioned here in the United States, where there is a federal indictment for drug trafficking.”
Several Republican lawmakers also criticized the White House decision. About Cuba, the Senator Maco Rubio he stated that “the regime in Cuba threatened Biden with mass migration and has supporters within the administration and the result is that today we see the first steps towards Obama’s policies on Cuba.”
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In addition, Ted Cruz I affirm that “a cornerstone of the Biden administration is to appease criminal regimes around the world. In Cuba, Biden is picking up where Obama left off: catastrophic and unjustifiable concessions”
the congresswoman María Elvira Salazar assured that “Biden has officially surrendered to the dictators of Latin America. Yesterday, it allowed American businesses to benefit the Castro/Díaz-Canel regime. Today, he removed sanctions on Maduro in Venezuela to buy blood-stained oil.”
The United States announced changes in visa restrictions and the sending of family remittances to Cuba. Likewise, it confirmed the lifting of some of its economic sanctions against Venezuela, among them permission for the US oil company Chevron to talk with the state-owned PDVSA, and to try to reactivate the dialogue between the opposition and the regime of Nicolás Maduro.
