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Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott sent a letter to U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday, urging him to increase economic pressure on the Cuban regime, specifically targeting medical missions abroad and the military conglomerate GAESA as its main sources of funding.
In the letter, as reported by Florida Voice, Scott praised Trump's previous actions and urged him to continue with the Executive Order 14380, signed on January 29, 2026, which declared a national emergency due to the threats posed by the Cuban government and authorized tariffs on countries that supply oil to the island.
The senator argued that additional measures are needed to weaken what he called the "illegitimate Castro-Díaz-Canel regime" and to cut all sources of income that sustain the dictatorship.
Among the arguments put forward by Scott is the rejection of the mass pardon announced by Havana on April 2, which he labeled as a cosmetic maneuver that does not represent a true opening of the regime nor the release of genuine political prisoners.
The senator also referenced the 199-page report published this month by international human rights organizations, which documents the labor exploitation conditions under which Cuban doctors operate when sent abroad.
Regarding GAESA, the conglomerate controls over 18 billion dollars in liquid assets, making it the main financial engine of the regime and a top priority for U.S. sanctions.
The Supreme Court lifted the oil tariffs on February 20, 2026, which temporarily weakened the pressure on the countries that supply crude oil to Cuba, leading to the senator's request for the exploration of alternative ways to maintain that pressure.
The letter also supported the DEMOCRACY Act, reintroduced in February 2025, which aims to penalize countries that maintain medical cooperation agreements with the Cuban government under current conditions.
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