Letter to the Honorable Lindsey Graham and Patrick Leahy, Chairman and Ranking Member of Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs - Funding for Venezuela and Cuba Democracy Programs

Letter

Dear Chairman Graham and Vice Chairman Leahy:

We write to express our concern that the President's Fiscal Year (FY) 2018 Budget Request would eliminate funding for democracy programs in Venezuela and Cuba. These programs are essential to U.S. support for the Venezuelan and Cuban peoples and we strongly encourage you to restore funding for them in the forthcoming Department of State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill.

Now is the time to redouble, not eliminate, support for democracy and human rights activists in Venezuela. Earlier this month, thugs loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro attacked Venezuela's National Assembly, injuring opposition lawmakers in the latest attempt to undermine Venezuela's democracy. For 100 days now, the Venezuelan people have taken to the streets again, protesting Maduro's creeping dictatorship. Maduro has cracked down again, killing more than 70 people and injuring and arresting thousands more. According to one estimate, approximately 100 political prisoners remain in jail. Still, more than 7 million Venezuelans courageously opposed Maduro's attempt to re-write Venezuela's constitution in a referendum last Sunday. Amidst the ongoing political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, programs that support Venezuela's National Assembly and civil society, promote human rights, and foster the spread of independent media alongside continued sanctions and humanitarian assistance are badly needed.

The situation is no less urgent in Cuba, where the Cuban Government continues to beat and jail dissidents and deny the Cuban people their basic freedoms. So far in 2017, 2,620 Cuban dissidents have been temporarily detained or prosecuted, according to the Comision Cubana Derechos Humanos y Reconciliacion Nacional. Democracy programs in Cuba provide humanitarian assistance to political prisoners and other activists and empower the Cuban people to work together to decrease their dependence on the state. These programs also train Cubans how to document and raise awareness of human rights abuses and share information about the outside world. As such, democracy programs in Cuba have enjoyed decades of bipartisan support.

The promotion of democracy is a longstanding and fundamental aim of U.S. foreign policy, especially in our hemisphere. We appreciate your consistent support for programs that help turn the democratic aspirations of the Venezuelan and Cuban peoples and many others into a reality.

Sincerely,