STOOD UP TO TYRANNY IN CUBA JUST
LAST YEAR.
CONGRESSMAN MARIA SALAZAR
WARNER’S FAMILY FLED COMMUNIST
CUBA, AND SHE JOINS US NOW.
CONGRESSWOMAN, SO GREAT TO HAVE
YOU.
>> THANK YOU.
RACHEL: I SHARE THE FRUSTRATION
THAT YOU HAVE WITH
ADMINISTRATION’S REFUSAL TO
STAND UP FOR FREEDOM FIGHTERS,
PEOPLE WHO DESERVE THEIR HUMAN
RIGHTS AND DIGNITY.
YOU SAW THAT LAST SUMMER WHEN
THE PROTESTERS ASKED FOR ACCESS
TO THE INTERNET WHICH THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION COULD HAVE
PROVIDED AND DIDN’T, CORRECT?
>> OF COURSE.
AND I’M SO HAPPY THAT A YOU’RE
SHARING MY SENTIMENTS BUT NOT
ONLY US, BUT THOUSANDS AND
THOUSANDS OF CHINESE OR CUBANS
THAT THEY WANT, RACHEL, THE SAME
THING WE HAVE, FREEDOM,
DEMOCRACY, FREE MARKET ECONOMY
TO BE ABLE TO TRAVEL, RAISE YOUR
HIS -- KIDS ANY WAY YOU WANT TO,
GO TO SCHOOL.
AND UNFORTUNATELY, THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION IS AN
ACCOMPLICE --
RACHEL: WHY?
>> BECAUSE IF YOU DON’T STAND UP
AND YOU ARE THE NUMBER ONE
COUNTRY, YOU ARE THE BEACON OF
HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE WORLD, THE
CHINESE, ALL THEY’RE DOING IS
HOLDING A BLANK PIECE OF PAPER.
BUT IN REALITY WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING IS WE WANT TO LIVE LIKE
YOU.
WE WANT TO BE FREE.
IF I WERE TO BE THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION, I WOULD CALL THE
CHINESE AMBASSADOR RIGHT NOW
HERE IN WASHINGTON, AND I WOULD
SAY I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT
YOUR GOVERNMENT IS DOING.
BUT YOU WANT TO DO BUSINESS WITH
US -- IF YOU WANT TO DO BUSINESS
WITH US, YOU HAVE TO BEHAVE
DIFFERENTLY, AND YOU HAVE TO
ALLOW THOSE PEOPLE TO SAY
WHATEVER THEY WANT TO SAY.
BECAUSE IT’S NOT AN ORGANIZED
PROTEST.
IT’S JUST PEOPLE ARE GOING OUT
EXPRESSING WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN
HOLDING ON FOR YEARS.
SAME THING WITH CUBA.
RACHEL: YEAH.
>> AS YOU SAID, I HAVE BEEN
ASKING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION
TO PROVIDE ONE THING AND ONLY
ONE THING, CONNECTIVITY, BECAUSE
THE CUBANS WANT TO KNOW THAT THE
REST OF THE WORLD IS WATCHING
HOW BRUTALIZED THEY ARE ON THE
STREETS OF HAVANA JUST LIKE THE
CHINESE ARE BEING BRUTALIZED ON
THE STREETS OF BEIJING.
IT’S THE SAME STORY.
PEOPLE WANT TO BE FREE.
RACHEL: YEAH.
>> AND WE HAVE A DUTY, WE, THE
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, A DUTY
TO HELP THEM.
RACHEL: WE ARE THE UNITED STATES
OF AMERICA, BUT WE’RE STRUGGLING
WITH FREE SPEECH IN OUR OWN
COUNTRY, AND TRULY WHAT I SEE AS
THE CHINAIFICATION OF OUR OWN
COUNTRY, SADLY, AND THAT MIGHT
BE WHY HE HASN’T STOOD UP AND
SAID ANYTHING IN EITHER OF THESE
TWO VERY IMPORTANT SITUATIONS.
I WANT TO MOVE TO ANOTHER TOPIC
BECAUSE IT’S THE ALSO VERY
TROUBLE THING, AND YOU’RE
SOMEBODY WHO FOLLOWS LATIN
AMERICA VERY CLOSELY.
WE ARE SEEING THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION MAKING SOME VERY
PUZZLING MOVES AGAIN IN LATIN
AMERICA, DRIVING CHINA --
DRIVING OUR ALLIES INTO THE ARMS
OF CHINA.
TALK TO ME ABOUT WHAT’S
HAPPENING THERE.
>> LISTEN, I THINK IT’S A
FANTASTIC QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, I BELONG TO THE HOUSE
FOREIGN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE.
I’M IN THE SUBCOMMITTEE FOR THE
AMERICAS, AND WE HEAR FROM
CENTRAL AMERICA, GUATEMALA,
ECUADOR, THE COUNTRIES THAT
WOULD LOVE TO DO BUSINESS WITH
THE UNITED STATES.
THEY WANT THE AMERICAN COMPANIES
TO COME IN TO BRING ALL THOSE
BUSINESSES FROM CHINA TO CENTRAL
AMERICA, FOR NEAR SHORING.
THAT WOULD BE ONE OF REASONS WE
COULD STOP INFLUX OF CENTRAL
AMERICANS RUSHING OUR BORDER.
BUT WHERE IS THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION?
THERE’S NO LEADERSHIP.
EVERYONE THAT IS WATCHING THIS
PROGRAM NEEDS TO KNOW THAT LATIN
AMERICA LOVES THE UNITED STATES.
AND RONALD REAGAN RECOGNIZED
THAT A WHEN HE WAS FIGHTING THE
SANDINISTAS.
EVERY SINGLE COUNTRY WANTS TO DO
BUSINESS WITH THE AMERICAN
COMPANIES.
EVERYONE WANTS TO BE WITH THE
GRINGOS.
WE DON’T WANT TO BE WITH THE
CHINESE OR THE RUSSIANS.
BUT IF THOSE THE COMPANIES DON’T
SHOW UP AND THE CHINESE ARE
COMING WITH THEIR DOLLARS
SAYING, HEY, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU
NEED?
ROADS?
IF YEAH, WE’LL PAY FOR THEM.
BRIDGES, NO PROBLEM.
SOCCER STADIUMS, ANYTHING.
WE’RE HERE TO GIVE IT TO YOU
WITH ONO STRINGS ATTACHED --
WITH NO STRINGS ATTACHED.
ALL THEY’RE DOING IS TRYING TO
INVADE NOT MILITARILY, BUT
ECONOMICALLY.
AND WE’RE TALKING ABOUT LATIN
AMERICA.
IT’S OUR BACK YARD.
PEOPLE CAN WALK FROM ARGENTINA
TO TEXAS.
WALK.
AND THAT’S THE BIG DANGER THAT
WE ARE NOT CONFRONTING.
RACHEL: WELL, SADLY,
CONGRESSWOMAN, IT’S NOT
SOMETHING THAT’S GOING TO
HAPPEN, IT’S SOMETHING THAT IS
HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND THAT IS
CHINA’S TAKEOVER OF LATIN
AMERICA.
WE OUGHT TO BE KEEPING AN EYE ON
THAT AND HOLDING THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION ACCOUNTABLE FOR
WHAT THEY’RE NOT DOING IN LATIN
AMERICA TO PROTECT US FROM THE
CHINESE IN OUR OWN HEMISPHERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
RACHEL: CONGRESSWOMAN MARIA WITH
SALAZAR WARNER, THAT MEANS
YOU’RE A NEWLYWED, CON
GRAPHLATIONS.
[LAUGHTER]
>> YEAH.
GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU ONCE
IN A WHILE.
RACHEL: I LOVE IT.
[LAUGHTER]
>> WITH HE’S A BOY FROM ALABAMA.
HE’S A FARMER FROM ALABAMA.
COULD YOU IMAGINE?
NOW I’M GOING TO GET A SOUTHERN
TWANG.
[LAUGHTER]
I’D LOVE TO SEE THAT, MARIA.
>> FROM MY SPANISH ACCENT TO A
SOUTHERN ACCENT.
RACHEL: WELL, YOU FOUND A GOOD
ONE.