WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, after news broke that the Biden administration is easing sanctions on the illegitimate communist Cuban regime, Senator Rick Scott released the following statement and announced his intention to hold all relevant Biden nominees until the decision is reversed. The Díaz-Canel/Castro regime continues to brutally oppress and murder innocent Cubans, and is unjustly jailing more than 1,300 political prisoners, some as young as 14 years old. Last week, during a hearing in the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, Senator Scott questioned Emily Mendrala, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs, who refused to rule out easing sanctions on the illegitimate communist Cuban regime.

Senator Rick Scott said, “Joe Biden’s appeasement of the illegitimate communist Cuban regime is DISGUSTING. The administration claims they are helping the people but have done NOTHING to secure the freedom of political prisoners like José Daniel Ferrer, who are subjected to physical and psychological torture in an attempt to end their life. Since the July 11^th protests, instead of standing with the freedom-loving people of Cuba, Joe Biden has shown weakness and cowardice – bowing to the demands of a murderous regime instead of standing for democracy and human rights. It is sickening and why I will be holding ALL relevant nominees that have been reported favorably by committees to the Senate Floor until the decision is reversed.

“Biden can frame this however he wants, but this is the truth: this is nothing but an idiotic attempt to return to Obama’s failed appeasement policies and clear sign of support for the evil regime. Maybe Joe Biden is hoping that he, like his pal Obama, will also get to sit front row with the regime at a baseball game. There is no reasonable justification for this. It will funnel tons of cash to the regime and its military forces – giving it even more power to keep the Cuban people under its communist control. And the cost of this disastrous policy choice? More brutal oppression for the Cuban people. If you don’t know how this works, just ask Sirley Ávila León. After Obama made his sweetheart deal with the regime, the secret police in Cuba came to her house with a machete and chopped her hand off and then stuck in the mud so she would get an infection. Why? Because she complained that a school in her neighborhood was getting shut down. That’s the evil regime Joe Biden is cozying up to. Obama’s deal didn’t change the regime’s oppression and neither will Biden’s. Unfortunately, we knew this was coming. Last week, I asked Biden’s State Department in committee if the administration was planning to ease sanctions. They said, ‘No comment.’ It was a shameful admission and now we know what we must do. This appeasement cannot stand and I will do everything in my power to fight it every single day.”

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