Reply #1: The "pro-democracy " program for Cuba has had massive fraud programs

[karynnj]

In addition, things like radio Marti, were not effective but expensive.

I'm impressed that Kerry, who they hate anyway over his Contra investigation, is standing against them, for many years the funding of the program itself and Radio Marti have been questioned in SFRC hearings. Politically, the Cuban lobby is powerful. I do understand why Menedez is against Kerry on this - and remember that he held up the appointments of several unrelated nominees because he was upset over the administration's loosening constraints on Cuba.

Here is one article that goes through some of the complaints - http://www.politicsdaily.com/2010/02/11/what-was-alan-gross-doing-in-havana/

Since 1996, a small effort to stick our thumb in the island's eye developed with the formation of a "Cuba democracy program" within USAID to deliver "humanitarian aid" and "information" to "human rights and political activists" and families of dissidents. For years the democracy program's budget, about $2 million to start with, was funneled into grants to Cuban American groups in Miami that ostensibly used the money to somehow promote freedoms for Cubans still on the island.

Unfortunately, program funds were misused. A 2006 audit and investigation by the GAO highlighted taxpayer monies used to purchase Godiva chocolates, Nintendo GameBoys and cashmere sweaters. An alleged embezzlement scheme by another grantee was discovered in 2008, leading a member of the House to challenge USAID's annual program allocation, which had by then grown to $45 million per year.

It is likely the truth is somewhere in between both sides.