Chairwoman Salazar Leads Key Hearing on What Comes Next for Cuba and Latin America After Maduro

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Rep. María Elvira Salazar (FL-27), Chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, led a key hearing titled "Latin America After the Fall of Maduro," examining next steps for Cuba and the region as dynamics shift following Nicolás Maduro's fall.


The regional balance has moved quickly, increasing pressure on authoritarian regimes, particularly in Cuba, where nationwide blackouts, economic decline, and growing unrest point to a system under strain. The recent arrival of a Russian oil tanker delivering more than 700,000 barrels of crude underscores the regime's continued dependence on external support.


Chairwoman Salazar pressed the State Department on U.S. policy across the hemisphere, questioning why an oil shipment reached Cuba, demanding clarity on a timeline for free and fair elections in Venezuela, and seeking firm assurances that the United States will protect opposition leader María Corina Machado upon her return

"After the fall of Maduro, the Western Hemisphere changed," said Rep. Salazar. "For the first time in decades, regimes that depended on repression and external support are being tested, and nowhere is that more evident than in Cuba. The regime is under pressure, the system is cracking, and the Cuban people are no longer silent. This is not about ideology. It is about freedom and the United States must be ready to stand with those who are fighting for it."


The subcommittee heard testimony from Michael Kozak, Senior Bureau Official for the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, who outlined the implications for U.S. policy.

"The reassertion of the Monroe Doctrine is helping eliminate the influence of global adversaries in our region and protect the American homeland," said Ambassador Kozak, Senior Bureau Official for Western Hemisphere Affairs. "We are helping Venezuela transition from a criminal enabler to a responsible partner. With Maduro's arrest, Cuba lost one of its last benefactors. The end of massive subsidies at the expense of the Venezuelan people exposed the Cuban communist regime's economic failings. President Trump has made clear that we will not tolerate this threat on our doorstep any longer. Now is the time for drastic political and economic reforms in Cuba."


The hearing focused attention on a central question: what comes next for Cuba, and how the United States will lead as the region enters a new phase.

You can watch the full hearing here.
BACKGROUND: 

The Western Hemisphere is undergoing a significant realignment following developments in Venezuela, with direct implications for Cuba and the broader region. For decades, the Cuban regime depended on subsidized Venezuelan oil and political backing to sustain its system. As that support weakens, the island is confronting a deepening crisis marked by severe energy shortages, economic decline, and growing unrest, placing unprecedented pressure on the regime.

As Chairwoman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Rep. Salazar has been at the forefront of efforts to advance freedom and democratic accountability across the region, championing the Cuban people while holding regimes in Venezuela and Nicaragua accountable and engaging with partners throughout the hemisphere.

As political dynamics shift, countries across Latin America are reassessing alliances, confronting instability, and redefining their sovereignty. The hearing underscored a central reality: what happens in Cuba will shape the trajectory of the region and require a clear, coordinated U.S. response at a moment of both risk and opportunity.

Rep. Salazar represents Florida's 27th Congressional District, home to one of the largest Cuban exile communities in the United States and a significant Venezuelan diaspora. She has consistently advocated for policies that support freedom, strengthen democratic institutions, and counter authoritarian influence across the hemisphere.