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CUBA
Mr. WELCH. Mr. President, on May 24, 2023, Congressman Jim McGovern spoke on the House floor about the distressing situation in Cuba, and I want to associate myself with his remarks. He expressed his deep disappointment and frustration, which I share, with the current policy of the United States toward Cuba that amounts to little more than a continuation of the failed policies of the previous administration.
If the consequences of our policy were benign, perhaps one could ignore what is happening on that tiny island of 11 million people. But, as Congressman McGovern described, it is anything but benign. Our policy is contributing, directly and indirectly, to widespread hardships and hunger in Cuba that caused some 313,000 Cubans to abandon the island last year alone, seeking entry to the United States.
As any objective observer of Cuba knows, since long before the Castro revolution, the Cuban people have suffered continuous deprivations and humiliations. Political oppression and severely limited economic opportunities, punctuated by recurrent natural disasters, have circumscribed their lives. Through it all, they have persevered, propelled by their extraordinary ingenuity, national pride, and innate resilience. However, the mass exodus of Cubans in the past two years illustrates how dire the situation has become.
This is by no means the first time that large numbers of Cubans have risked their lives to seek refuge and a better life in the United States, but none were on the scale of recent years. Several factors have led to the current calamity, including punitive Cold War sanctions reimposed by the previous administration and unfortunately kept in place by the current administration. The Cuban Government's mismanagement of the economy and its reluctance to fully unleash and energize Cuba's fledgling private sector, the global COVID pandemic and economic downturn, and the cutbacks in oil imports from Venezuela have all played a role in the Cuban people's plight.
However, there also are several deeply flawed U.S. policies which enable Cuban authorities to continue to deflect blame for their own failures onto the United States. They have compounded the misery of average Cubans and damaged our relations with partners in the hemisphere. These policies must change.
First, Cuba must be removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list. We will continue to have profound differences with the Cuban Government over the importance of democracy and protection of human rights. But the designation as a state sponsor of terrorism is based on a determination that a government has ``repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism,'' not on differences of opinion about democracy or association with unsavory governments. Removing Cuba from this list, as President Obama did, will bolster Cuba's growing private sector and enable American commercial investment, trade, and travel to Cuba. Both are critical to the future prosperity of the Cuban people. The Biden administration should expeditiously complete any necessary review to remove Cuba from the terrorism list.
Second, the administration should waive the extraterritorial sanctions under title 3 of the Helms-Burton Act, which drew the ire of our hemispheric allies when it was enacted in 1996 and have been waived by all previous Republican and Democratic administrations, save one. Cubans continue to flee the island out of desperation, and we cannot credibly claim to ``stand with the Cuban people,'' while supporting policies designed to cripple their economy and increase their daily hardships.
Finally, we should continue on the path of improving relations between our two governments, including by sending an ambassador to Havana. U.S. engagement with a foreign country does not ascribe legitimacy to its government. If that were the case, we would recall our Ambassadors and close our Embassies in dozens of countries. Our isolationist policy is helping to expand malign Chinese and Russian influence in Cuba, not prevent it. Engagement creates opportunities to cooperate when it is in our national interest and to actively defend universal rights and freedoms. Notably, engagement provides the United States the ability to more effectively counter the influence of our adversaries who seek to exploit the vacuum created by our absence.
None of us condone the repressive policies and practices of the Cuban Government but there are serious consequences to our policy of unilateral isolation. History has shown that regardless of how difficult life is in Cuba, the Cuban authorities will take whatever measures they deem necessary to crush public dissent to maintain control, as we saw in the wake of the historic street protests of July 11, 2021. Hundreds of brave protesters continue to languish in Cuban jails.
For years, Senator Patrick Leahy worked to replace an anachronistic, failed, punitive policy toward Cuba with one based on common sense and in accordance with our national interests. His efforts played a central role in President Obama's decision to restore diplomatic relations and engagement with Cuba in 2015. That policy was producing unprecedented, positive results for the Cuban people until it was unfortunately reversed. I urge the Biden administration to continue the work Senator Leahy and President Obama began. It is the only policy worthy of the United States.
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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 169, No. 130
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