Diaz-Balart: My Amendment is a National Security issue, a Human Rights issue, and a Freedom issue

Prevents Hard Currency from reaching a Terrorist Regime in Cuba

Washington, D.C. –Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) issued the following statement on the passage of his Amendment during an Appropriations Committee, Financial Services Subcommittee mark-up. Diaz-Balart comments:

“Today, we won an important vote in the House Committee on Appropriations to deny hard currency to the terrorist regime in Cuba. The amendment that I proposed prohibits any funding for enforcement of Obama’s regulations regarding Cuban-American travel and remittances. Our amendment replaces those regulations with those that were in place during the Bush Administration.

““While my amendment does not eliminate Cuban-American travel and remittances, it curbs the abuse that help fund the Castro regime. Tourism travel is the number one source of revenue for the regime.

“An American aid worker Alan Gross continues to rot in prison, political prisoners are tormented and some murdered, and repression on the island intensifies, I cannot stand aside as abuse of the current regulations channel millions of U.S. taxpayer dollars to the terrorist regime in Cuba. This amendment is a national security issue, a human rights issue and a freedom issue.

“I appreciate the strong support of my colleagues on this important amendment, many of whom spoke in strong support of my amendment, and I look forward to continuing to work with them until this language becomes law.”