Why Is the U.S. Department of Commerce Allowing Luxury Exports to Cuba? Congresswoman Salazar Demands Answers

Republican Congresswoman María Elvira Salazar has taken a firm stand against the U.S. Department of Commerce after it was revealed that luxury vehicles and other high-end items were being exported to Cuba under federal licenses. These exports, according to Salazar, starkly contrast with the intended humanitarian aid.

During a congressional hearing, Salazar directly questioned Deputy Secretary David Peters, asking why export licenses for items like Ferraris, Rolls-Royce, Maseratis, jacuzzis, jet skis, and golf carts are being granted to the Cuban regime while the island's citizens endure power outages, food shortages, and repression.

"Humanitarian aid means food and medicine, not Ferraris or golf carts," the congresswoman asserted, emphasizing the gap between the official narrative of assisting the Cuban people and the reality of the goods being approved for export.

Scrutiny on Export Licenses

The controversy erupted following reports from Miami suggesting that the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), part of the Treasury Department, and the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), within the Commerce Department, had approved these exports under categories supposedly intended for humanitarian purposes.

Salazar, alongside Congressmen Mario Díaz-Balart and Carlos Giménez, had earlier sent a formal letter requesting a thorough review of all current export licenses to Cuba. This initiative came after Miami tax collector Dariel Fernández exposed the granted authorizations.

In the hearing, a Commerce Department official confessed to being unaware that luxury items were being exported under this mechanism. However, he acknowledged that the authority can review and revoke licenses if they do not align with regulatory guidelines.

No Luxuries for the Dictatorship

"The president's policy is clear: humanitarian aid for the Cuban people, not luxuries for the dictatorship," Salazar declared, stressing that the U.S. should not become a supplier of luxury goods while Cubans suffer ongoing power outages and an economic crisis.

The criticism comes at a critical time for Cuba, which is experiencing one of its worst energy crises in decades, marked by daily blackouts, fuel shortages, and a continued decline in living conditions. Adding to the turmoil are rampant inflation, food and medicine scarcity, and unprecedented mass migration.

For Salazar, allowing the export of sports cars or recreational boats under so-called humanitarian licenses undermines the spirit of U.S. sanctions, which are legally designed to pressure the Cuban government without directly benefiting those in power.

Debate Over Sanctions and Loopholes

This incident reignites the debate over the real impact of sanctions and their enforcement weaknesses. Humanitarian exceptions are meant to facilitate the delivery of food, medicine, and other essential supplies to civilians. However, the inclusion of luxury vehicles and recreational items in these categories raises questions about oversight and control standards.

Following the pressure exerted in the hearing, the Commerce Department representative pledged to convey the complaint and review the situation. The case highlights a significant contradiction: while the official stance claims the sanctions are not meant to punish the Cuban populace, the possibility of luxury goods ending up in the hands of the elite close to power fuels criticism that the regime finds ways to circumvent restrictions.

Amidst prolonged blackouts and empty shelves in Cuba, the idea of Ferraris and Rolls-Royces heading to the island with U.S. approval is, at the very least, politically provocative.

Salazar concluded, "I demanded a public commitment to review and revoke any license that isn't strictly humanitarian. The United States must never subsidize tyranny. We stand with the Cuban people, not their oppressors."