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Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar congratulated her colleague Carlos Giménez, whom she referred to as her “brother in Congress,” on the occasion of his 72nd birthday.
“Happy birthday to my brother in Congress, Congressman Carlos Giménez. Together we tirelessly fight for the freedom of our peoples and we take on the socialists without stopping,” Salazar said in reference to his Cuban-American colleague in Congress.
“May this new year be filled with health, strength, and many more victories. A big hug!” he wished.
Cuban blood runs in the veins of Florida Republican congress members Mario Díaz-Balart, María Elvira Salazar, and Carlos Giménez; from New York, Nicole Malliotakis; as well as Senator Ted Cruz and Democratic Congressman Maxwell Frost.
Precisely, last Wednesday, Giménez and Salazar, the two voices alongside Díaz-Balart representing the Cuban exile community in South Florida, supported the shipment of humanitarian aid from the United States to Cuba following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, but they demanded guarantees that the regime in Havana would not have access to or control over the donations.
According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the first shipment of aid arrived this week in Holguín and will be distributed directly by Cáritas Cuba with the support of humanitarian organizations from the Catholic Church, in order to avoid the mediation of the regime.
"We have all known for years that the murderous dictatorship in Cuba steals donations and then resells them to the people at exorbitant prices. We trust Secretary Rubio's management to prevent the regime from stealing the aid intended for the Cuban people," expressed Congressman Carlos Giménez upon hearing the news of the shipment.
María Elvira Salazar, for her part, celebrated Washington's decision to funnel assistance directly through the Church.
“The United States has always been generous with those who fight for freedom and democracy, including the oppressed people of Cuba. By standing against the regime, we support their struggle for freedom, not their oppressor,” affirmed the Republican legislator.
Both congressmen emphasized that the humanitarian aid sent by the Trump Administration must reach the families affected by Hurricane Melissa without interference from the Cuban state apparatus, which they accuse of profiting from the people's needs and historically diverting international cooperation.
The assistance plan, announced by Secretary Rubio, who is also Cuban-American, is part of a three million dollar package aimed at supporting those affected in eastern Cuba.
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