Phil Ammann
Marco Rubio is poised to take charge of an influential congressional foreign affairs subcommittee, one that oversees many of the U.S. relationships on our half of the globe.
On Wednesday, the Senate named the Florida Republican and prospective 2016 presidential candidate to the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights and Global Women’s Issues.
Rubio will also serve as a member of the Subcommittee on East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy; the Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism; and the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy.
“Being from Florida, I’ve seen how events in the Western Hemisphere not only impact our state but our entire nation,” Rubio said in a statement. “For too long, Congress and the Administration have failed to prioritize our relations in this hemisphere.
“This lack of attention has kept us from seizing the opportunities of a rising middle class, emboldened tyrants and non-state actors to erode democratic values, allowed global competitors to deepen their influence in the continent, and diminished our ability to respond to the proliferation of transnational organized crime and the violence and instability associated with it,” he added.
Rubio vowed to promote “bold measures” to improve U.S. economic and security interests, calling for transparent institutions, quality education, private-sector competitiveness, and respect for political and economic freedoms.
“I look forward to advocating for closer ties with Canada, Mexico, and other regional partners such as Colombia as well as greater energy cooperation and trade,” Rubio said, adding that the subcommittee is a platform for “bringing light and solutions to rising problems in the hemisphere,” particularly Cuba and Venezuela, places where “individual freedoms are all but a dream.”
The first hearing of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, with Rubio as chair, will be Tuesday, February 3, at 10:00 a.m. On the agenda is President Obama’s Cuba policy change, with a focus on implications for human rights.
Rubio, the son of Cuban political refugees, has been a vocal opponent of the Castro administration. He has also been highly critical of Obama’s push to normalize relations with the Communist nation.
