Salazar Presses State Department Secretary Antony Blinken on Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Western Hemisphere Subcommittee Chairwoman María Elvira Salazar (R-FL) interrogated U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on the Biden Administration’s policies towards Cuba, Colombia, Venezuela, and Argentina. While the Administration’s policies towards Cuba and Colombia are extremely concerning, Chairwoman Salazar was able to secure some positive outcomes regarding Venezuela and Argentina.

The Biden Administration’s accommodating attitude towards the Cuban regime is marked by his latest moves to not only remove Cuba from a list of countries that are uncooperative with U.S. counterterrorism efforts but also to allow Cuban officials to tour TSA antiterrorism infrastructure at Miami International Airport.

Chairwoman Salazar asked Secretary Blinken directly if he plans to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism given these moves. He halfheartedly responded by claiming Cuba’s classification changed only because the Colombian government is no longer looking for the extradition of ELN terrorists living in Cuba. Blinken also stated that there are no short-term plans to reclassify Cuba to satisfy the requirements set out in the Export Controls Act. Rep. Salazar will continue to demand the Administration keep Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.

Salazar also pressed Secretary Blinken on what the Biden Administration plans to do if President Gustavo Petro of Colombia moves forward with his plans to change the Colombian Constitution without the approval of the Colombian Congress. Secretary Blinken deflected, saying the Administration would need to reevaluate only if President Petro does decide to keep himself in power.

On Venezuela, Salazar and Blinken agreed that the United States must continue to put pressure on the Maduro regime to hold free elections and to respect its result. Chairwoman Salazar will continue to use her position on the House Foreign Affairs Committee to fight for the freedom of the Venezuelan people.

Salazar ended her line of questioning by asking Secretary Blinken if he plans to include Argentina, a great ally under the pro-American leadership of President Javier Milei, in President Biden’s signature Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity (APEP) initiative. Secretary Blinken was receptive and said he would be happy to take Chairwoman Salazar’s recommendation to the President. On the day before the hearing, Salazar penned a letter to President Biden urging him to include the pro-America governments of Argentina and Paraguay in APEP. This policy would be a significant development for the American, Argentine, and Paraguayan economies.

To watch Chairwoman Salazar’s full line of questioning, click here.

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