July 15, 2025

Congresswoman Norma Torres Condemns U.S. Partnerships with Terrorist-Linked Regimes

Calls Out Dangerous Foreign Aid Provisions in SFOPS Committee Bill Vote

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Norma J. Torres (CA-35), a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs (NSRP) formerly known as the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS), issued the following statement following subcommittee markup.  The Congresswoman sounded the alarm on provisions that would deepen U.S. partnerships with regimes accused of collaborating with terrorist organizations and engaging in gross human rights violations:

“America was built on a simple promise: freedom over tyranny. We don’t fund dictators. We don’t abandon our citizens to torture chambers.”

“This bill would send millions of American taxpayer dollars and official recognition to regimes that actively collaborate with violent criminal organizations.”

“When we fund terrorist-supporting regimes, we're not defeating terrorism. We're bankrolling it. We're letting MS-13 and other criminal organizations operate with state protection, while we provide the cash and cover.”

“Who will look the victims of MS-13 in the eye and tell them they will never get justice for the overdoses, the violent murders, the rapes that these criminals have committed and facilitated on American soil– because we are releasing MS-13 leaders into the waiting arms of the Bukele Regime?”

Congresswoman Torres has long championed policies that put human rights, national security, and the rule of law at the forefront of U.S. foreign assistance. As a former 911 dispatcher, she brings a deep commitment to public safety and justice to her work on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on National Security, Department of State, and Related Programs.

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