Two Congressional Progressive Caucus members visited Cuba last week while the House was in recess, sparking backlash from Republicans who viewed the trip as appeasing communism.
Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), “Squad” members who have been vocal about ending the United States economic embargo on the communist nation, visited Cuba in a group of about a dozen, including a staffer from Rep. Barbara Lee’s (D-CA) office.
A spokesperson for the Congressional Progressive Caucus confirmed the representatives visited the nation to the Washington Examiner.
“Representatives Jayapal and Omar traveled to Cuba last week, where they met with people from across Cuban civil society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship,” a spokesperson for the caucus said.
Jayapal and Omar are vocal critics of the U.S. embargo against Cuba. They were among the 40 House Democrats who voted against a resolution that supported peaceful demonstrations against the Cuban government in 2021.
That year, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) condemned Jayapal, Omar, and the other Democrats who voted against the symbolic resolution, stating they were standing on the “wrong side of history.”
After news of the group’s recent trip broke, House Republicans were quick to blast the “Squad” members for supporting Cuba’s treatment of its citizens and connection to other foreign nations. Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said the media should refer to the Congressional Progressive Caucus as the “Congressional Communist Sympathizing Caucus.”
“It’s outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and supports Iran, Russia and Communist China against our interests,” Malliotakis said in a post on X. “Perhaps their time would be better spent listening to the Cubans crossing our southern border & risking their lives on makeshift rafts to find out why they’re fleeing Communism.”
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Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) also posted on X, stating Cuba “must remain on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism.”
The Washington Examiner reached out to Jayapal, Omar, and Diaz-Balart for comment.
