The spokesperson for the State Department, Tommy Pigott, responded on Monday to the accusations from Miguel Díaz-Canel and stated to NBC 6 that "the crisis we are witnessing on the island is a direct result of the Cuban regime, its non-functional economic model, and its own incompetence."
The statements come after Miguel Díaz-Canel accused Washington of maintaining "a policy of maximum economic suffocation against the Cuban people." The leader made these claims during the event commemorating the anniversary of the assault on the Moncada Barracks, where he held the U.S. embargo responsible for the deaths and misery affecting Cuba.
Pigott quoted a statement from Secretary of State Marco Rubio: "The only thing worse than a communist is an incompetent communist, and that is the regime we are witnessing in Cuba."
The spokesperson was direct in highlighting the responsibility of the Cuban government: "What concerns us is that we are seeing a regime dedicated to plundering the resources of the Cuban people to line its own pockets."
In response to the official narrative from Havana, which blames the crisis on the embargo, Pigott recalled that "there have always been exceptions within the embargo to allow food and medicine to reach the Cuban people."
United States humanitarian aid to Cuba
The spokesman reaffirmed that "the United States stands with the Cuban people" and detailed that Washington has committed up to 100 million dollars in humanitarian assistance, distributed through third parties such as the Catholic Church, Cáritas Cuba, and independent non-governmental organizations, without the Cuban government acting as an intermediary.
The package, formally announced by Rubio on May 8, 2026, is structured with 60 million dollars allocated to the Catholic Church and 40 million for independent NGOs.
The first formal shipment of this aid —18 tons of food and hygiene supplies— left Miami on July 21, coordinated with Catholic Relief Services and Cáritas Cuba, to ensure that the resources reach those in need directly.
Cuba is undergoing its worst crisis in decades, with daily blackouts lasting between 22 and 25 hours, and a severe shortage of fuel, food, and medicine.
The regime, for its part, has rejected the label of "humanitarian crisis" and maintains a narrative that blames the embargo for all evils, ignoring decades of failed economic management and political repression as structural causes of the collapse.
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