Governor DeSantis Lambasts Biden Administration’s Engagement with Maduro Regime
Today, Governor Ron DeSantis was joined by Venezuelan Americans in Miami-Dade County to discuss the Biden administration’s unconscionable resumption of high-level diplomatic contact with the brutal Maduro regime in Caracas and to highlight the failures of the Biden administration’s energy policies which have led to record high gas prices. A recording of the roundtable discussion can be viewed here.
“Many Americans and a lot of Floridians are very angered by the Biden administration‘s recent attempts to legitimize the brutal Maduro regime in Venezuela,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “This is part of a familiar pattern of the Biden administration thumbing its nose at millions of people here in Florida, just like when it took FARC off the terrorism list and didn’t lift a finger to help the democracy protesters in Cuba. Now, Biden is going hat in hand to legitimize Nicolas Maduro, who is responsible for countless atrocities and has driven Venezuela into the ground. The United States should be energy independent, but instead gas prices have been going up consistently since January 20, 2021. Now we’re in a situation where people are really hurting and rather than acknowledge that their policies have been ineffective, they’re going to Maduro and they’re going to the ayatollahs in Iran. The answer is American energy independence, not propping up Nicolas Maduro. We’re saying here today: No, we do not accept Joe Biden legitimizing a murderous tyrant and we stand with the people in South Florida and the people in Venezuela who are seeking freedom.”
Under the Biden administration, there has been sky-high inflation and record high gas prices impacting Floridians and Americans across the country. Governor DeSantis called on the Florida Legislature to enact a gas tax holiday to provide relief to Floridians at the pump and he is looking forward to that legislation hitting his desk. Furthermore, the Florida State Board of Administration continues to refrain from investments in Venezuelan entities and all state agencies are prohibited from engaging with the Venezuelan government or Venezuelan companies.
“The Biden Administration’s secret meeting with the tyrannical despot Maduro legitimizes a cruel regime and is a demoralizing betrayal of those who have risked their lives for freedom in Venezuela and elsewhere,” Lieutenant Governor Jeanette Nuñez said. “The U.S. should not rely on our enemies for energy. Instead, we should hold dictators accountable and increase domestic energy production here at home. That is why I am proud to stand alongside Governor DeSantis in condemning the White House for emboldening Maduro’s dictatorship and refusing to pursue US energy independence.”
