[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 25 (Tuesday, February 11, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S887-S888]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MODERNIZING CUBA POLICY
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today the Atlantic Council's Adrienne
Arsht Latin American Center released a new, bipartisan public opinion
survey on Americans' views about U.S. policy toward Cuba which should
be read by every Member of Congress. The findings of this thorough and
wide-ranging poll will surprise many. For instance, not only do
Floridians--and Cuban-Americans in Florida--favor new policy
approaches, but they do so in even larger numbers than do Americans in
other regions of the Nation.
It is time--past time--to modernize our policies and the frozen-in-
time embargo on Americans' travel and trade with Cuba that have
accomplished nothing but to give the Cuban regime a scapegoat for the
failures of the Cuban economy. Change will come to Cuba, but our
policies have delayed and impeded change. It is time to elevate the
voice of a crucial stakeholder: the American people. Thanks to this
poll, they are silent no longer.
It is time to recognize that U.S. policy toward Cuba has been
unsuccessful in achieving any of its objectives. There is no
disagreement among Americans on both sides of the issue about the
desire for a government in Cuba that respects individual liberties. We
want to see freedom of expression Cuba, just as we want to see American
citizen Alan Gross, who has been imprisoned there for more than 4
years, come home. The disagreement is over how best to achieve that.
Just about the only beneficiary of our embargo has been Cuba's
current regime.
The poll shows that a solid majority of Americans, including Cuban-
Americans, favor a different course.
Trade with Latin America is the fastest growing part of our
international commerce. Rather than isolate Cuba with outdated
policies, we have isolated ourselves. Our Latin, European and Canadian
friends engage with Cuba all that time. Meanwhile, U.S. companies are
prohibited from any economic activity on the island.
This new detailed survey paves the way for a policy toward Cuba that
is in the national interest of the United States as a whole. That is
what the country needs, it is what the American people have made clear
they want, and it is the responsibility of the White House and the
Congress to act.
Let us have the common sense, and the courage, to finally put an end
to the Cold War in our own hemisphere.
In this same spirit of bipartisanship as this public opinion poll,
Senator Jeff Flake and I joined together in writing a guest column
about the compelling reasons to change these antiquated policies. Our
piece appeared today in the Miami Herald. I call it to the attention of
the Senate, and I invite other Senators to join in re-examining and
changing our self-defeating approach in our relationship with Cuba and
the Cuban people. I ask unanimous consent that the article be printed
in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
[From the Miami Herald, Feb. 11, 2014]
Time for a New Policy on Cuba
(By Patrick Leahy and Jeff Flake)
We are in the fifth decade--more than half a century--of
our country's embargo toward Cuba. During that time the
Soviet Union has ceased to exist. Apartheid in South Africa
has ended. We have re-established diplomatic relations with
the communist governments of China and Vietnam. Still, the
United States has refused to reexamine the political and
economic embargo on Cuba.
A majority of Americans, including Cuban-Americans, wants
to change course. So do we.
A new public opinion poll commissioned by the Atlantic
Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center and carried out
by a team of highly respected pollsters from both sides of
the aisle shows a stark contrast between current American
attitudes and the archaic U.S. embargo.
A solid majority of Americans from every region and across
party lines supports normalizing relations with Cuba. When
asked about specific elements of the policy--such as undoing
the ban on travel by Americans to Cuba, facilitating
financial transactions,
[[Page S888]]
meeting with the Cuban government on bilateral issues like
fighting drugs and smuggling--the margin is more than 61
percent.
Challenging conventional wisdom that Floridians--and
especially the state's large Cuban-American population--are
in lockstep with the embargo, the poll finds stronger support
for normalization in Florida (63 percent) than in the country
overall (56 percent). A full 67 percent of Floridians support
removing all restrictions for Americans to travel to Cuba,
and 82 percent favor meetings with the Cuban government on
issues of mutual concern.
Simply put: The state that reportedly once had the greatest
reluctance to re-engage has reversed its position.
Having jailed political opponents, Cuba has a political
climate that is far from free. The Cuban government continues
to hold former USAID subcontractor Alan Gross in prison. The
Cuban government has inched toward loosening its grip on the
island's economy. Despite that, however, the Cuban people
continue to live under a repressive regime.
However, it would appear that a standard of 100 percent
political alignment with the United States before allowing
freedom of travel or economic activity with another country
is only applied to Cuba. For instance, U.S.-China trade
topped $500 billion in 2011, and we granted permanent
normalized trade relations to Russia in 2012. American
tourists visit both countries without restriction. It is easy
to see why most Americans now oppose our frozen-in-time
policies toward Cuba.
Trade with Latin America is the fastest growing part of our
international commerce. In 2014, economic growth in Latin
America is expected to continue to outpace U.S. growth.
Rather than isolate Cuba with outdated policies, we have
isolated ourselves.
For example, the presidents of our Latin American partners,
including close allies such as Colombia and Mexico, recently
traveled to Cuba alongside the U.N. secretary general. In
January, Brazil joined Cuba in inaugurating a huge new
shipping terminal on the island. And our European and
Canadian friends engage with Cuba. Meanwhile, U.S. companies
are prohibited from any economic activity on the island.
Just about the only beneficiary of our embargo has been
Cuba's current regime. The embargo actually has helped the
Castros maintain their grip on power by providing a reliable
and convenient scapegoat for Cuba's failing economy. Change
will come to Cuba. These counterproductive U.S. policies have
delayed it.
President Obama has already relaxed some facets of our Cuba
policy, lifting restrictions on Cuban-American travel and
remittances, which have had positive effects. Anecdotally,
U.S. remittances have been crucial in allowing Cuban
entrepreneurs to take full advantage of economic openings
that the Castro regime has been forced to allow. This not
only improves Cubans' lives but will make future economic
contractions by the Cuban government difficult for the regime
to attempt. Current policy boxes U.S. entrepreneurs and
companies out of taking part in any of this burgeoning Cuban
private sector.
Further, there is simply no legitimate justification for
restricting any American travel to Cuba. The travel ban, like
the rest of the embargo, only bolsters the Cuban government's
control over information and civil society. Instead of
willingly restricting the liberty of our own citizens, we
should be taking every opportunity to flood Cubans with
American interaction, with our ideas, with our young people.
Americans want a change in our Cuba policy. The president
should heed the majority of those across the country who
recognize that we have much to gain by jettisoning this Cold
War relic.
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