“As Americans We Should Reject Socialism”

As the Lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I released the following statement after House Democrats rejected consideration of a resolution condemning comments Senator Bernie Sanders made praising communist dictator Fidel Castro this week. I am an original co-sponsor of the resolution introduced by Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL), whose family fled the Castro regime. 

Today House Democrats had a simple choice: stand up against socialism and human rights abuses or defend the tyrannical communist dictatorship of Fidel Castro. I’m sad to say too many of my colleagues chose the latter. As Americans we should reject socialism in any form and call out those who seek to downplay the brutality of these dictators, as Senator Sanders did repeatedly this week and has done throughout his career. It’s especially tragic that Senator Sanders touted Castro’s education initiatives, when in reality Castro’s education policies served only to indoctrinate the Cuban people with communist ideology and anti-American sentiment through censorship and intimidation.

As Lead Republican of the House Foreign Affairs committee, I’ve seen the disastrous consequences of socialist dictatorships around the world and am gravely concerned that the leading Democrat nominee has high praise not only for Fidel Castro, but for the Chinese Communist Party. His embrace of socialism and communism is not the right example for the American people he hopes to lead. I am proud to be an original co-sponsor of today’s resolution condemning Senator Sanders’s comments praising Fidel Castro and am thankful that Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart is such a strong voice in Congress for the millions of Cubans who came to America after suffering under the despotic Castro regime.