Three members of the Florida delegation teamed up at the end of last week to rip how the Cuban regime is handling coronavirus.
U.S. Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Fla., and Francis Rooney, R-Fla., released a joint statement taking aim at the communist government in charge of Cuba.
“The Cuban regime has shamelessly exploited this COVID-19 pandemic to engage in a misleading medical diplomacy campaign by trafficking doctors from whom they pocket as much as 80 percent of their salaries, confiscate their passports, and impose strict monitoring. The regime is also spreading dangerous disinformation about the virus worldwide with the aim of dividing the international community. These are just the latest examples of the regime’s use of propaganda to build a positive image abroad and distract from its systemic human rights violations against the Cuban people. Like their authoritarian partners around the world, the Cuban regime cannot be counted on as a reliable partner in fighting the coronavirus pandemic,” they said in the join statement.
“The international community must reject the Cuban regime’s disinformation campaign and its trafficking of medical professionals. Healthcare workers combating COVID-19 around the world are heroes who risk their lives daily. We must stand united in condemning the Cuban regime’s efforts to exploit these heroes for political and financial gain during this unprecedented global health crisis,” they added.
Rooney sits on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee including serving as vice chairman of it when the GOP controlled the chamber.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
