Diaz-Balart: Obama, Appeaser-in-Chief

Washington, D.C.– Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) released the following statement in response to the final fiscal year (FY) 2012 Appropriations bill. Diaz-Balart comments:

“President Obama’s willingness to shut down the United States government to appease a U.S.-designated State Sponsor of Terrorism is appalling and inexcusable. I hope that the American people see that President Obama would deny Americans essential services, halt checks to our seniors and veterans rather thanreverseone aspect of hisfailed policy toward Cuba.

“During a full House Appropriations committee markup, I proposed an amendment that passed with bipartisan support. The approved language has been publicly available since June and was included in the conference report– then later stripped out. The language was not inserted secretly, it was not a surprise, nor the result of sly political gamesmanship.

“The amendment aimed to reverse some of the Obama administration’s most egregious unilateral concessions to the terrorist regime in Cuba. The amendment would replace some of the Obama administration's regulations on Cuban-American travel and remittances with the common-sense regulations that were in place before President Obama took office. While the regime continues to hold hostage American humanitarian aid worker Alan Gross, political prisoners are tormented and some murdered, and repression on the island intensifies, I simply could not stand idly by as the Obama policies channeled millions of U.S. dollars to the Cuban people’s oppressors. This is a freedom issue, a national security issue, and a human rights issue.

“This Commander-In-Chief has established a clear and dangerous foreign policy pattern throughout his presidency: appeasing our enemies and condemning our allies. We have seen it through his insistence of engagement with Iran, failing miserably as Iran chooses to become a nuclear power. As Obama tries to “reset” relations with Russia, they respond with threats and conduct fraudulent elections. While President Obama chooses to apologize for the U.S. or give concessions to our enemies, our allies are left to fend for themselves. From publicly criticizing our staunch ally, Israel; siding with Communist China on the arm sales to Taiwan; cancelling a Polish- and Czech-based U.S. missile defense system; to deliberately delaying the passage of the Colombia Free Trade Agreement, this administration continues on a reckless foreign policy.

“I am extremely disappointed that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who had agreed with the language, later backtracked and succumbed to pressure from the administration.

“It’s an embarrassment that a U.S. President would put our government in jeopardy of a shut down and sell out the longsuffering Cuban people to appease the ruthless Castro dictatorship. President Obama, once again, reveals his true self: appeaser-in-chief.”