Funding for Cuba programs stalled in Congress

[Judi Lynn]

Posted on Wed, Jun. 08, 2011
Funding for Cuba programs stalled in Congress
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
[e-mail]

An Obama administration effort to spend another $20 million on Cuba democracy programs has been blocked for two months amid bitter clashes over policy and personalities.

Words like “backstabber” and “communist dupe” have been thrown about and the issue is littered with leaks and counter-leaks about alleged wrongdoings.

Sen. John Kerry, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is offering to lift the “hold” he put on the money April 1 if the amount is cut to $15 million, according to a note sent by his committee staff to the State Department Friday. El Nuevo Herald obtained a copy.

Committee spokesman Fred Jones declined to comment on the note but said, “We are continuing discussions with the administration in an effort to make sure these programs are effective and meeting real objectives.”

More:
http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/08/2257727/funding-for-cuba-programs-stalled.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. CUBA - US Senator John Kerry Opposes USAID Funds for Anti-Cuba activity .

CUBA - US Senator John Kerry Opposes USAID Funds for Anti-Cuba activity .
Saturday, 02 April 2011 04:10

HAVANA, Cuba, Apr 1 (acn) John Kerry, Chairman of the influential US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said on Friday that he will oppose the approval of a 20-million dollar budget presented by the government to promote actions against Cuba.

They should consult the Congress on this issue, points out a communique by the legislator, who advocates the full revision of these anti-Cuban programs, which have cost US contributors –it assures- over 150 million dollars.

The Statement from Kerry, after receiving notification that the U.S. Agency for International Development intends to spend another $20 million for “democracy promotion” programs in Cuba, says “We all hope the Cuban people achieve greater freedom and prosperity in the future consistent with their aspirations, and I have applauded the Administration’s commitment to expand people-to-people contact between our two countries.

There is no evidence, however, that the ‘democracy promotion’ programs, which have cost the U.S. taxpayer more than $150 million so far, are helping the Cuban people. Nor have they achieved much more than provoking the Cuban government to arrest a U.S. government contractor who was distributing satellite communication sets to Cuban contacts.

More:
http://caricomnewsnetwork.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2925:cuba-us-senator-opposed-to-funds-for-anti-cuban-activity&catid=82:latin-a-central-america&Itemid=457

[flamingdem]

2. REC. GO KERRY! Someone here didn't like this news and unrecced

I mean please, how long do we have to pay for this farce!

La Loba must be using every name in the book, in Spanish and in English;)