Overview
- The State Department said the new funding will be distributed by the Catholic Church and Caritas to communities hit by Hurricane Melissa in eastern Cuba.
- Supplies include rice, beans, pasta, canned tuna, and solar lamps, with U.S. officials describing the effort as a non-political response to humanitarian need.
- Embassy personnel in Cuba will monitor field distribution to guard against government interference or politicization, according to Undersecretary Jeremy P. Lewin.
- The package adds to $3 million in U.S. relief delivered last month via the same logistics, including airlifts to Holguín and Santiago de Cuba.
- The announcement coincides with intensified U.S. pressure on Cuba’s fuel lifelines, including a national-emergency declaration and tariff threats, as Havana reports severe blackouts and says it will only talk on equal, non-coercive terms.