Chairman Paul Cook
Meets with Under Secretary Tom Shannon
Washington, D.C. –Representative Paul Cook (CA-08), Chairman of the
House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, held
a meeting with the U.S. State Department’s Under Secretary for Political
Affairs, Thomas Shannon, where they discussed U.S. policy priorities
in the Western Hemisphere, including developments in Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia,
and Honduras, the upcoming Summit of the Americas in Peru in April 2018, and
how Congress can support advancing the release of U.S. citizen Joshua Holt from
Venezuela. They also discussed the State Department’s redesign effort.
Chairman Cook: “The Western Hemisphere is facing very
serious challenges that have a direct impact on the United States. We're seeing
increasing evidence of drug production and trafficking, illegal migration,
corruption, and political instability throughout the region. Countries like
Venezuela and Cuba also continue to receive support from Russia, China, and
Iran, enabling further repression and autocracy in the region. We must do more
to address these challenges, secure the release of U.S. citizen Joshua Holt,
who is being unjustly imprisoned in Venezuela, advance freedom for the Cuban
and Venezuelan people, and support our democratic friends in Central America
and the Caribbean.
I believe 2018 provides a huge opportunity to increase U.S. engagement in
these areas, as well as to consider ways to advance energy and trade
partnerships, and I look forward to working with Under Secretary Shannon to
ensure we advance policies that are in the best interests of the United States
and that result in a more democratic, safe, and prosperous region.”
