Latest news with #MarioDiaz-Balart
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Opinion - National Endowment for Democracy cuts are penny-wise, pound-foolish
One of the most important experiences of my career as a foreign correspondent was watching Latin American countries turn from dictatorships to democracies through the power of citizens. In the 1990s, as the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union crumbled, I watched as lines of campesinos who had walked for days in the mountains of Guatemala cast their votes and proudly showed off their purple-inked thumbs. In those days, the National Endowment for Democracy and the State Department played vital roles supporting nascent democracies, from Eastern Europe to Latin America to Asia and Africa. We are now in a new era, dominated at home by a ferocious attention to cutting the budget deficit and the national debt. The Office of Management and Budget has proposed that State Department funding be cut in half and that programs such as democracy promotion eliminated. In a hearing last month of the House Appropriations subcommittee, chaired by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the heads of the National Endowment for Democracy's National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute came to plead their case for resumption of programs already approved for this fiscal year and their entities' future survival. Since its arrival in office, the Trump administration has halted 92 of 95 programs of the International Republican Institute, according to its president, Dan Twining. The institute has closed all 64 of its offices abroad and fired up to 85 percent of its staff. National Democratic Institute President Tamara Wittes testified that 97 of its 93 awards were terminated, three-fourths of its offices closed and about 1,000 people fired. Total funding for the NED represents 1 percent of the foreign assistance budget, which itself represents 1 percent of the total U.S. government budget. Both leaders testified that the return on a relatively small sum of $660 million has provided critical support for democracy, including nonpartisan training for election monitors, technical support to political parties across the spectrum, and incorporation of women into democratic political processes. In post-war countries from Lebanon to West Africa, the National Endowment for Democracy has helped countries bring disabled veterans and survivors of conflict to the polls on election day, to forestall backsliding into conflict. One of the most promising areas is the use of technology. Since 2008, the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor has invested more than $320 million in global internet freedom programs to counter censorship and provide internet access. The bureau provided VPN communications for democracy activists, including the massive Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, the largest anti-regime protest in decades. During the first Trump administration, funding for the bureau quadrupled, with vital backing from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Since January, however, 95 percent of its programs are suspended, jeopardizing its key focus on countering China's influence and other repressive regimes. The fight is not only in China and Iran; in fact, the contest between democracy and authoritarianism is just as acute and far-flung as it was in the waning days of the Cold War. Most of the world's population today lives in authoritarian countries or in backsliding democracies. Only 87 countries, comprising about 20 percent of the world's population, are stable democracies, according to the latest Freedom House report. The endowment and the State Department have helped countries counter Russian destabilization in Central and Eastern Europe and in the conflicted Western Balkans with nonpartisan support to government, civil society and independent media. The National Endowment for Democracy was preparing to help ensure fair elections in Ukraine until funds were cut. Aid has stopped to Moldova, where a Russian-backed campaign nearly derailed a popular government in the fall, leaving open the possibility of similar interference in the coming parliamentary elections. Romania's election was annulled after the presidency was nearly captured through a shadowy influence campaign by coordinated TikTok accounts, undisclosed payments and algorithmic amplification of the virtually unknown ultranationalist candidate's bid for office, according to Romanian intelligence. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that foreign assistance will be held to a new standard under his helm, requiring that programs demonstrably make the U.S. 'safer, stronger or more prosperous to justify their existence.' Over the years, the National Endowment for Democracy and the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor can claim to have contributed to this outcome, although officials — including Twining — allow that some programs can be sharpened or held to a higher standard. Rubio himself has championed many of these programs. As a senator, he sponsored legislation banning clothing imports made with Uighur slave labor. And Diaz-Balart, his fellow Cuban American, bestowed a National Endowment for Democracy award on a bishop in Nicaragua, a country that is still struggling to return to the democracy it briefly enjoyed in the early 1990s. With support from the endowment, Guatemala's new government has made progress in reducing migration, as Rubio recognized on his first trip abroad as secretary. And Venezuela's opposition provided proof that they were defrauded of victory last fall, through a meticulous organizing and poll-monitoring effort supported by the U.S. Rubio's proposal to fold the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor into a new, expanded directorate of foreign assistance and human rights might produce new synergy and effectiveness. But unless the new directorate is empowered with senior staff and expert personnel, its span of control could be challenged, with such a wide array of responsibilities as State's major action arm for deploying all foreign and humanitarian aid and overseeing the daily execution and results. Leaders of the congressional foreign relations committees have already indicated they will closely scrutinize the proposed reorganization for its ability to carry out statutory functions established by Congress. Twining and Wittes, among others, argue that democracy programs are among the most cost-effective investments the U.S. government makes. The outside auditor, Grant Thornton, delivered a clean audit of the endowment's financial statements in March, for the 10th straight year. These small sums are dwarfed by China's $60 billion annual spending on Belt and Road projects around the world and its growing purchase of local media outlets to influence public opinion. This penny-wise approach will make it far easier for the rest of the world to turn, no questions asked, to Russia and China. Linda Robinson received the Maria Moors Cabot Prize and the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on National Defense and was a Nieman Fellow in 2001. She is now senior fellow for women and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
02-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
National Endowment for Democracy cuts are penny-wise, pound-foolish
One of the most important experiences of my career as a foreign correspondent was watching Latin American countries turn from dictatorships to democracies through the power of citizens. In the 1990s, as the Cold War ended and the Soviet Union crumbled, I watched as lines of campesinos who had walked for days in the mountains of Guatemala cast their votes and proudly showed off their purple-inked thumbs. In those days, the National Endowment for Democracy and the State Department played vital roles supporting nascent democracies, from Eastern Europe to Latin America to Asia and Africa. We are now in a new era, dominated at home by a ferocious attention to cutting the budget deficit and the national debt. The Office of Management and Budget has proposed that State Department funding be cut in half and that programs such as democracy promotion eliminated. In a hearing last month of the House Appropriations subcommittee, chaired by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), the heads of the National Endowment for Democracy's National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute came to plead their case for resumption of programs already approved for this fiscal year and their entities' future survival. Since its arrival in office, the Trump administration has halted 92 of 95 programs of the International Republican Institute, according to its president, Dan Twining. The institute has closed all 64 of its offices abroad and fired up to 85 percent of its staff. National Democratic Institute President Tamara Wittes testified that 97 of its 93 awards were terminated, three-fourths of its offices closed and about 1,000 people fired. Total funding for the NED represents 1 percent of the foreign assistance budget, which itself represents 1 percent of the total U.S. government budget. Both leaders testified that the return on a relatively small sum of $660 million has provided critical support for democracy, including nonpartisan training for election monitors, technical support to political parties across the spectrum, and incorporation of women into democratic political processes. In post-war countries from Lebanon to West Africa, the National Endowment for Democracy has helped countries bring disabled veterans and survivors of conflict to the polls on election day, to forestall backsliding into conflict. One of the most promising areas is the use of technology. Since 2008, the State Department's Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor has invested more than $320 million in global internet freedom programs to counter censorship and provide internet access. The bureau provided VPN communications for democracy activists, including the massive Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, the largest anti-regime protest in decades. During the first Trump administration, funding for the bureau quadrupled, with vital backing from South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham. Since January, however, 95 percent of its programs are suspended, jeopardizing its key focus on countering China's influence and other repressive regimes. The fight is not only in China and Iran; in fact, the contest between democracy and authoritarianism is just as acute and far-flung as it was in the waning days of the Cold War. Most of the world's population today lives in authoritarian countries or in backsliding democracies. Only 87 countries, comprising about 20 percent of the world's population, are stable democracies, according to the latest Freedom House report. The endowment and the State Department have helped countries counter Russian destabilization in Central and Eastern Europe and in the conflicted Western Balkans with nonpartisan support to government, civil society and independent media. The National Endowment for Democracy was preparing to help ensure fair elections in Ukraine until funds were cut. Aid has stopped to Moldova, where a Russian-backed campaign nearly derailed a popular government in the fall, leaving open the possibility of similar interference in the coming parliamentary elections. Romania's election was annulled after the presidency was nearly captured through a shadowy influence campaign by coordinated TikTok accounts, undisclosed payments and algorithmic amplification of the virtually unknown ultranationalist candidate's bid for office, according to Romanian intelligence. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that foreign assistance will be held to a new standard under his helm, requiring that programs demonstrably make the U.S. 'safer, stronger or more prosperous to justify their existence.' Over the years, the National Endowment for Democracy and the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor can claim to have contributed to this outcome, although officials — including Twining — allow that some programs can be sharpened or held to a higher standard. Rubio himself has championed many of these programs. As a senator, he sponsored legislation banning clothing imports made with Uighur slave labor. And Diaz-Balart, his fellow Cuban American, bestowed a National Endowment for Democracy award on a bishop in Nicaragua, a country that is still struggling to return to the democracy it briefly enjoyed in the early 1990s. With support from the endowment, Guatemala's new government has made progress in reducing migration, as Rubio recognized on his first trip abroad as secretary. And Venezuela's opposition provided proof that they were defrauded of victory last fall, through a meticulous organizing and poll-monitoring effort supported by the U.S. Rubio's proposal to fold the Bureau of Democracy, Rights and Labor into a new, expanded directorate of foreign assistance and human rights might produce new synergy and effectiveness. But unless the new directorate is empowered with senior staff and expert personnel, its span of control could be challenged, with such a wide array of responsibilities as State's major action arm for deploying all foreign and humanitarian aid and overseeing the daily execution and results. Leaders of the congressional foreign relations committees have already indicated they will closely scrutinize the proposed reorganization for its ability to carry out statutory functions established by Congress. Twining and Wittes, among others, argue that democracy programs are among the most cost-effective investments the U.S. government makes. The outside auditor, Grant Thornton, delivered a clean audit of the endowment's financial statements in March, for the 10th straight year. These small sums are dwarfed by China's $60 billion annual spending on Belt and Road projects around the world and its growing purchase of local media outlets to influence public opinion. This penny-wise approach will make it far easier for the rest of the world to turn, no questions asked, to Russia and China. Linda Robinson received the Maria Moors Cabot Prize and the Gerald R. Ford Prize for Reporting on National Defense and was a Nieman Fellow in 2001. She is now senior fellow for women and foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Washington Post
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
3 House Republicans from Florida with Cuban roots carefully navigate Trump's immigration policies
MIAMI — A few dozen women gathered at a posh Miami brewery on a recent evening to listen to U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart outline the Republican plans to retain their slim House majority in next year's elections. In an hour of remarks, Diaz-Balart did not bring up immigration on his own.
The Hill
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Donalds unveils legislation to move NASA headquarters to Florida's Space Coast
Florida gubernatorial candidate and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) is set to introduce legislation in the House proposing that NASA headquarters be moved from Washington, D.C. to Florida. The legislation's co-sponsors include a bipartisan group of Florida lawmakers, including Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.), Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), Mara Salazar (R-Fla.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Cory Mills (R-Fla.), and Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.). The bill, titled Consolidating Aerospace Programs Efficiently at Canaveral Act, is the House version of a Senate bill that was introduced by Florida Sens. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Ashley Moody (R-Fla.). The bill proposes moving NASA headquarters to Florida's Space Coast in Brevard County within one year of enactment. The space coast is home to Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The Hill was the first outlet to report on the House version of the legislation. Proponents of moving NASA to Florida point to the existing aerospace infrastructure along the Space Coast. They also note that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Spaceforce Stations are primary launch sites for NASA and that having headquarters close by would streamline operations. Florida's proximity to the equator also makes it a prime location for launches. The effort from Florida lawmakers comes as the lease on NASA Headquarters in Washington is set to expire in August of 2028. However, lawmakers from the Sunshine State are not the only ones pushing to relocate NASA to their home state. Last month, a group of Ohio lawmakers sent a letter to Vice President JD Vance, who is from Ohio, and President Trump's pick to lead NASA Jared Isaacman, advocating to move the agency's headquarters to Cleveland. The letter was signed by Ohio GOP Reps. Max Miller, Troy Balderson, Mike Carey, Warren Davidson, Jim Jordan, Dave Joyce, Bob Latta, Michael Rulli, Dave Taylor and Mike Turner as well as Democratic Rep. Marcy Kaptur. Ohio Sens. Bernie Moreno (R) and Jon Husted (R) also signed the letter.
Washington Post
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Former US Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a champion of democracy in Cuba, dies at 70
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a Cuban American who fought tirelessly for a free Cuba and who spent 18 years in the U.S. House of Representatives as a member of a politically powerful South Florida family, has died after battling cancer, his family said Monday. He was 70. His brother, U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, said in a statement on the social platform X that his brother was 'a defender of the silenced and oppressed, author of the democracy requirement for the lifting of U.S. sanctions against the Cuban dictatorship.'
