The head of the U.S. Mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, attended the U.S. Congress during a working visit to Washington D.C., where he discussed the situation on the island and the Trump Administration's efforts to deliver 100 million dollars in humanitarian aid to Cubans.
The United States Embassy in Cuba reported this Wednesday on Facebook that Hammer was accompanied by officials from the Department of State during his visit to the Capitol.
Among those efforts, the Embassy highlighted "the distribution of $100 million in humanitarian assistance through reliable organizations."
The visit to the U.S. Congress takes place just over a week after Hammer met in Washington with Secretary of State Marco Rubio to update him on the situation in Cuba and the progress of the humanitarian aid package.
On that occasion, the Embassy explained that both officials discussed the efforts to deliver the 100 million dollars through Caritas and other reliable organizations, as well as Washington's support for the aspirations of Cubans to "live in freedom and with dignity."
The humanitarian package was announced by Rubio in May, and subsequently, Washington detailed its distribution mechanism: 60 million dollars would be routed through the Catholic Church and another 40 million through trusted non-governmental organizations.
Aid began to take shape in July, when the first shipment of the program departed from Miami to Havana, containing 700 hygiene kits and 700 food modules.
The distribution was handled by Catholic Relief Services, Cáritas Cuba, and networks of the Catholic Church, without any mediation from the Cuban government.
Hammer, who has been known for developing an agenda "with everyday Cubans," has also conducted on-site visits to verify the distribution of those resources.
At the beginning of August, he visited beneficiary families in Bejucal, where he spoke with recipients of the packages and volunteers from Cáritas.
He also included his trip to Alquízar, Artemisa, to personally verify the distribution of food, hygiene products, and other items delivered to vulnerable families.
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