Connie Mack Takes Over House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere

With his party taking control of Congress in January, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack slides over from ranking Republican to chairman of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

Im truly honored to be named chairman of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee and to continue my work on addressing the pressing issues facing the region, said Mack. With freedom and free markets under continuous assault by thugocrats like Venezuelas Hugo Chavez and the Castro brothers in Cuba, the United States must remain committed to countering the influence of these socialist leaders in the region. We must also work with our allies in the hemisphere to eradicate terrorist organizations like the FARC, keep a watchful eye on the dangerous ties between Russia, Iran and Venezuela, and build relationships based on our shared goals of freedom, security and prosperity.

U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, praised the stances taken by her fellow Florida Republican.

Congressman Mack does not hesitate to call a dictator a dictator, or, as is his preferred term, a thugocrat, she said. Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Evo Morales, and Rafael Correa are all placing democracy under siege in Latin America, and I am happy to have Connie standing up to their tyrannical advances as chairman of the Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.