Salazar, Díaz-Balart, and Giménez Demand Strong Enforcement of U.S. Sanctions Against Cuban Regime

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar, joined by Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, sent a joint letter to the U.S. Departments of the Treasury and Commerce urging immediate action to revoke licenses granted to U.S. companies operating with the Cuban dictatorship.

In the letter, the three Members of Congress raise serious concerns that licenses issued by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) continue to authorize transactions that provide financial or material benefit to regime-controlled enterprises in Cuba, directly undermining U.S. sanctions law and Congressional intent under the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996.

“U.S. law is clear: sanctions exist to deny economic support to the Cuban dictatorship until real democratic change occurs,” said Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar. “That is why we are urging the Administration to review and revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly benefit regime-controlled entities, strengthen scrutiny of future licenses, and fully enforce the LIBERTAD Act. Every dollar denied to the regime brings the Cuban people one step closer to freedom.”

“President Trump’s decisive actions have brought us closer than ever to the collapse of the Communist regime in Cuba,” said Congressman Carlos Gimenez, the only Cuban-born Member of Congress.“We’re asking to shutdown every source of income the regime uses to repress the Cuban people. Close the valve of free oil from Venezuela, close the valve of flight and remittances, and close the valve of these businesses shipping luxury products from the US to Cuba, which undermines the intent of Congress and President Trump’s common-sense policy against the regime. God willing, the Castro regime will not survive these four years of President Donald J. Trump!”

Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart said, "I said it during President Trump’s first term, and I will say it again: I am convinced the anti-American dictatorships in Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua will not survive another term of bold and decisive American leadership under President Trump. The Cuban regime is weaker today than it has ever been. History makes clear that there is only one approach that works against brutal dictatorships: zero tolerance and maximum pressure. That means enforcing U.S. law, which prohibits all businesses from dealing with the Cuban regime and cutting off every dollar that props up a State Sponsor of Terrorism, as Congress mandated in the LIBERTAD Act of 1996."

Title I of the LIBERTAD Act establishes that U.S. sanctions are designed to deny economic support to the Cuban dictatorship until concrete progress is made toward democracy, the rule of law, and fundamental freedoms. Sections 102 and 103 explicitly prohibit direct or indirect assistance to state-owned enterprises that sustain repression on the island.

Despite these mandates, South Florida Members of Congress warn that current licensing practices risk providing the regime with financial resources, material support, or dual-use capabilities that can be diverted for internal repression or intelligence operations, directly contradicting Section 205 of the Act, which requires maintaining sanctions until a transition government is in place.

In their letter, Reps. Salazar, Díaz-Balart, and Giménez urge Treasury and Commerce to:

• Conduct a comprehensive review of all active licenses involving the Government of Cuba or state-owned enterprises;
  
• Revoke any licenses that directly or indirectly benefit regime-controlled entities;
  
• Strengthen scrutiny of future licensing requests related to Cuba; and
  
• Issue updated public guidance clarifying that licenses supporting the Cuban regime violate existing U.S. law.

The Members emphasized that strict enforcement of sanctions is essential to protecting U.S. national security, upholding the rule of law, and standing with the Cuban people in their fight for freedom.

Background

The Cuban dictatorship is in its final hour. Economic collapse and mounting repression have exposed a regime that survives only by force, and sustained pressure will hasten its inevitable fall. During the Biden Administration, the regime exploited weak enforcement to infiltrate the Cuban exile community and profit off hardworking families through sanctioned-evasion schemes. Those days are over. The Trump Administration has been unequivocal: there will be no appeasement, and the United States will use every lawful tool available to help liberate the Cuban people.

In August 2025, Congresswoman Salazar sent a letter to the Administration urging stronger enforcement of U.S. sanctions against Cuba, warning that certain U.S.-based companies were exploiting loopholes to evade the embargo and funnel money to the regime. In that letter, she called on the Departments of State and Treasury to investigate and take action against businesses engaging in illicit tourism services, logistics operations, and other commercial schemes designed to benefit the Cuban dictatorship in violation of U.S. law.

Building on those concerns, Congresswoman Salazar has also pressed the Administration publicly through her work on the House Financial Services Committee. During a committee hearing, she called on the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) to investigate companies allegedly evading Cuba sanctions and warned that every dollar that bypasses U.S. law strengthens the regime’s machinery of repression while undermining U.S. foreign policy and national security interests.

Read the Fox News exclusive HERE.