Democrats are clashing with Biden over sanctions on Cuba and Venezuela. But they have to get past the hawks in their own party, first, mainly, the powerful senator, Robert Menendez.
by Daniel Larison, Responsible Statecraft
A group of House Democrats wrote a letter to President Biden last week urging him to reverse Trump-era sanctions on Venezuela and Cuba. In the letter, which was organized by Reps. Veronica Escobar and Raul Grijalva, they identified the economic damage wrought by sanctions as one of the important factors driving the current migration crisis.
The signatories were a mix of Democrats from southern border states and progressives from other regions. They made a damning case against Washington’s use of broad sanctions against these two countries, and they appealed to Biden to provide sanctions relief on both pragmatic and moral grounds. The letter is the latest in a series of protests from members of Congress against the so-called maximum pressure campaigns that have remained in place under the Biden administration, and it shines a light on the human costs of the sanctions that so many people in Washington reflexively support.
While the focus of the letter was on the role of sanctions in contributing to the border crisis, the members also spelled out the destructive effects of economic warfare on the targeted populations and condemned these policies for their cruelty and their failure to achieve any U.S. goals. Their communication reflects a growing awareness among some members of Congress of the bankruptcy of economic warfare as a policy and their recognition that the U.S. cannot show solidarity with the people living under authoritarian regimes by starving and impoverishing them.
Recent Posts
Politicians Should Stop Hiding Behind the “Two-State Solution” Fantasy
Take Action Now Claiming to know what’s best for Palestinians is built into a colonial mindset that has propelled intervention in the region for more…
Nebraska Wants Data Centers to Come Clean About Water Usage
Take Action Now The industry can be a black box of information. But as the state deals with persistent drought, residents and regulators want more…
Johnson Says Pentagon Needs More Money for ‘Fighting Communism on our own Shores’
Take Action Now Trump has threatened to deploy the military against the “enemy within” and has recently promoted the idea that “democratic socialism…
Trump Says Iran War Has Restarted, Potentially Resetting War Powers Clock
Take Action Now Democrats have said they may sue the president if he doesn’t adhere to previous War Powers votes.By Chris Walker, Truthout…