[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 184 (Thursday, December 17, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8747-S8750]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE RELEASE OF ALAN GROSS
Mr. LEAHY. Madam President, today is an important day for two
reasons. One, it is a sad day because it was just a few years ago today
when a dear friend, Senator Dan Inouye, died--one of my closest friends
and former President pro tempore and senior Member of this body.
It is also a good day because it marks one year since the release of
Alan Gross from a Cuban prison where he had spent 5 years. During that
time he lost more than 100 pounds, he lost five teeth, his mother died,
his mother-in-law died, his brother-in-law died, and he missed his
daughter's wedding.
I worked for years to help obtain Alan Gross's release and the return
of the remaining members of the so-called Cuban Five, who had served
more than 15 years in U.S. prisons. Scott Gilbert, Alan Gross's lawyer,
did an outstanding job, traveling countless times to Cuba. He
skillfully advocated on Alan's behalf with Cuban and U.S. officials. My
foreign policy adviser, Tim Rieser, went down several times to boost
Alan Gross's morale, visiting him in prison and bringing him messages.
My larger purpose, like my good friend from Arizona Senator Flake,
who has been a real partner in this, was to finally put the Cold War
behind us and to start looking forward to a new era.
Like Senator Flake and many others, I was convinced that such a step
would be widely embraced by the U.S. business community, by religious
groups, by academia, the scientific community, the media, and Americans
across the political spectrum. I also knew it would be welcomed around
the world, including in countries where people believe in democracy and
human rights as strongly as we do.
I remember when an ambassador from a South American country came up
to my wife Marcelle, saying: We have always respected the United States
but also we respected Cuba, and your relationship with Cuba was like a
stone in our shoe. Now, by restoring relations with Cuba, you have
removed the stone from our shoe.
He, like so many others, recognized that Alan Gross's release ushered
in a new day in United States-Cuba relations. I will never forget on
August 14, standing there when our flag was raised at the U.S. Embassy
in Havana, listening to our national anthem played, and I heard Cubans
standing just outside the gates of the Embassy cheering when the
American flag went up. It was a deeply moving experience to be there on
a swelteringly hot day.
We had 54 years of a failed, punitive policy that achieved none of
its objectives. President Obama and President Raul Castro wisely
decided it was time to chart a new path.
The reaction of the people of the United States and Cuba has been
overwhelmingly positive. Even some of Cuba's most vocal critics of the
Castro government have welcomed this new opening.
Which brings me back to Alan Gross. He had every reason to be a
bitter defender of U.S. sanctions, but instead he strongly supported
the new policy of engagement. He has never expressed anything but
warmth and admiration for the Cuban people.
Contrast that with the small handful of Members of Congress who
continue to defend a discredited policy of isolation that has been
repudiated by large majorities of their own constituents, denounced by
every other government in the hemisphere, and which even they
acknowledge it has not succeeded. Their answer is to keep it in place,
even opposing efforts by the State Department to improve security and
staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, to which the Cuban Government
has agreed.
I ask that you to look at this photograph of Alan Gross and his wife.
I took this just minutes after he was told he
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was going home. Senator Flake, Congressman Van Hollen, and I were there
to pick him up. This is not the face of a bitter man. When I took this
picture, I thought as I pressed the shutter that this is the face of a
man who knows we can have different days.
I am not so naive to think that reestablishing diplomatic relations
with Cuba is going to result in the rapid transformation of Cuba into a
democracy. Cuba's leaders are steadfast believers in a repressive
political system that has enabled them to hold power unchallenged for
more than half a century. Their economic policies have been a disaster,
resulting in daily hardships for the Cuban people. You can see it
whenever you travel to Cuba. While the Cuban Government blames its
economic problems on the U.S. embargo, no one seriously believes that,
although it is undeniable that the embargo has exacerbated the
hardships.
It is also undeniable that support for the embargo in the United
States, from the business community to the human rights community, has
evaporated. I wonder how many Members of Congress know that in the past
5 years the Government of Cuba, while blaming us for the embargo, has
imported more than $1 billion in U.S. agriculture and medical products.
American exports mean American jobs.
There would be a lot more exports if we got rid of the embargo. Right
now it is punishing American workers, as well as Cubans.
Why are we also punishing half a million Cuban entrepreneurs who
already work in the private sector and are no longer dependent on the
government? Why not support the private sector in Cuba as we do
everywhere else in the world? Why not open the United States to the
emerging Cuban market?
I think it is past time to replace vindictiveness and personal family
grievances with what is best for the American people.
I have condemned the Cuban Government's arrest and imprisonment,
after unfair trials, of individuals that have done nothing more than
peacefully protest against the government's repressive policies. At
least two of them were among the 53 who were released as part of our
agreement a year ago. Eleven others released earlier still cannot
travel freely.
But Cuba's leaders cannot stop the tide of history any more than any
of us can. The majority of Cubans were not even born at the time of the
1959 revolution. They have very different priorities and aspirations
than those who overthrew Batista's corrupt, abusive regime. Cuba is
changing in ways that will mean more freedom and more engagement in the
world, and more economic opportunities.
During the past 12 months, the Obama administration has taken
historic steps to implement the new policy. After so many decades, when
U.S.-Cuba relations were frozen, the progress in the last year has been
breathtaking. Talks are underway between both governments on a wide
range of issues, including one wrapping up last night on resuming
direct mail and air service, but also on law enforcement cooperation
and property claims.
Senator Flake, who has been such a leader on this--he and I have
introduced legislation, cosponsored by 45 other Democrats and
Republicans, to end restrictions on travel by Americans to Cuba. Those
restrictions don't exist for travel to any other country, including
North Korea and Iran. If our bill were called up for a vote, and if we
listened to the American people, it would pass easily.
This year the Senate Appropriations Committee passed, with bipartisan
majorities, a similar travel amendment by Senator Moran and me and two
other amendments to facilitate U.S. agriculture exports and shipping to
and from Cuba.
In contrast, the House of Representatives adopted half a dozen
provisions offered by just one Member that would turn back the clock.
I have no doubt that the path begun by President Obama and President
Raul Castro is the right one for the people of both countries, and that
the dwindling few who continue to try to stand in its way will fail.
History is not on their side. Rather than continue to cling to a
policy that was misguided from its inception and that did nothing to
help the Cuban people, they should respect the will of their
constituents and the Cubans on whose behalf they erroneously claim to
speak.
It was only 12 months ago that Senator Flake and I walked up the
gangplank onto the President's plane with Alan and Judy Gross. I took
many photographs that day, and our son-in-law, Lawrence Jackson, one of
the President's photographers, was also there recording it for
posterity.
Look at how much has been accomplished in those 12 months for the
benefit of the people of Cuba and the United States. It has done more
for the reputation of the United States and its influence in this
hemisphere than has been done in the past half century.
I ask unanimous consent that a chronology of those accomplishments
prepared by the Engage Cuba coalition be printed in the Record at the
conclusion of my remarks.
I hope that before another year passes the Congress will finally
recognize that it too has a responsibility to respect the will of the
people, to end the embargo and to stop interfering with the right of
Americans to travel. And that exposing the Cuban people to our ideas,
our principles, and our products is the best policy for the future.
I see my dear friend, the Senator from Arizona, on the floor.
I yield the floor.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
A Look Back at the First Year of the U.S.-Cuba Relationship
December 17, 2014-Present
Key Actions and Accomplishments
December 17, 2014: President Obama moves to normalize
relations with Cuba.
Decision follows 18 months of secret negotiations between
U.S. and Cuba and the release of American aid contractor Alan
Gross.
Announcement of plans over the coming months to ease travel
and financial restrictions on Cuba.
Paves the way for U.S.-Cuba to restore diplomatic ties,
reopen embassies, and potentially lift the embargo.
January 16, 2015: Departments of Commerce and Treasury
announce regulatory changes to Cuba sanctions.
The amendments implement the changes President Obama
announced on December 17, 2014.
March 31, 2015: U.S. and Cuba hold first formal talks on
human rights.
April 8, 2015: A public opinion poll of Cubans on the
island is released; shows that an overwhelming majority of
Cubans support an end to the embargo.
Nearly all Cubans (97 percent of those polled) believe
normalization of the relationship between Cuba and the United
States is good for Cuba.
April 11, 2015: Presidents Obama and Castro meet at the
Summit of the Americas in Panama.
Marks the first time the two nations' top leaders have sat
down for substantive talks in more than 50 years. Both
presidents agree it is time to end the embargo.
The inclusion of Cuba in the Summit of the Americas comes
after Latin American countries pressured the United States to
allow Cuba to participate.
April 20, 2015: Governor Andrew Cuomo leads delegation to
Cuba.
Governor Andrew Cuomo leads a delegation of New York
business owners and politicians to Havana.
His visit marks the first time a U.S. governor has
travelled to the island since the U.S. and Cuba normalized
relations.
The trip includes officials from JetBlue Airways, the
Plattsburgh International Airport, Pfizer, MasterCard, and
the founder of Chobani.
The trip leads to an agreement between Cuba's Center for
Molecular Immunology and Roswell Park Cancer Institute in
Buffalo, New York to import a lung cancer vaccine and begin
clinical trials in the United States.
May 4, 2015: New Cuba PAC launches.
New Cuba PAC pledges to donate to political candidates who
support favorable policy toward ending the Cuban embargo.
May 29, 2015: United States removes Cuba from state terror
sponsors list.
President Obama informs Congress of his decision in mid-
April; Congress has a 45-day review period.
Some congressional Republicans oppose the move; however,
they do not make any effort to block the decision.
Cuba had been on the list since 1982. Being listed subjects
a country to U.S. restrictions on such things as foreign aid
and defense sales.
June 18, 2015: Cuba expands Wi-Fi access across the island.
35 Wi-Fi hotspots are created.
Previously, Wi-Fi was only available at tourist hotels at
hourly prices that would amount to nearly a quarter of the
average monthly salary for Cubans.
July 2015: United States restores diplomatic ties with
Cuba.
On July 1, President Obama announces that the U.S. and Cuba
would reopen their
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embassies nearly 55 years since they first closed.
On July 20, diplomatic relations are officially re-
established; Cuban embassy holds flag-raising ceremony in
Washington. Engage Cuba hosts private dinner between Cuban
Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez-Parrilla and American
business leaders.
On July 22, Engage Cuba hosts a briefing at the White House
for the Cuban-American community about U.S.-Cuba relations.
July 23, 2015: Senate Appropriations Committee approves
three amendments favorable to lifting sanctions on Cuba.
The amendments would end restrictions on travel to Cuba,
allow private financing for agricultural sales to Cuba, and
lift restrictions on ships docking at Cuban ports.
August 14, 2015: Secretary of State John Kerry presides
over the flag-raising ceremony at American embassy in Havana.
Sec. Kerry's visit marks the first time in 70 years that a
U.S. Secretary of State has visited Cuba.
August 2015-October 2015: American airline companies
announce new flights to Cuba.
American Airlines and Cuba Travel Services announce a new
charter service providing nonstop service from Los Angeles to
Havana. American Airlines also begins offering a once-weekly
flight from Miami to Havana in partnership with Cuban travel
services.
JetBlue announces the addition of a second charter flight
from JFK to Havana.
Delta establishes charter flights from Atlanta to Havana,
set to start April 2, 2016.
September 8, 2015: Leading Republican presidential
candidate Donald Trump comes out in support of diplomatic
reengagement with Cuba.
Trump's stance means that for the first time in over a
half-century, the leading presidential candidates from both
parties support normalization; Hillary Clinton had stated her
support a year prior.
September 18, 2015: Obama administration further eases
travel and business restrictions against Cuba.
The announcement expands telecommunication opportunities in
Cuba and allows certain American businesses to establish
offices and bank accounts on the island.
Cuban businesses and residents are now able to set up
offices and bank accounts in the United States.
However, significant barriers to open trade and travel
still exist with Congress' refusal to lift the embargo.
September 19, 2015: Pope Francis arrives in Cuba.
The Pope visits Cuba before coming to the United States.
During his visit, he lauds the normalization process between
the two countries.
September 2015-November 2015: Telecommunications contracts
begin to be signed on the island.
Verizon begins to offer voice and data roaming in Cuba
through a third party.
Sprint signs an interconnection agreement with Cuba's state
telecoms monopoly Etecsa.
September 28, 2015: Governor Asa Hutchinson leads Arkansas
delegation to Cuba.
Governor Asa Hutchinson asks Congress to lift restrictions
that prevent U.S. food companies from selling to Cuba on
credit.
The measure, led by Senator John Boozman (R-AR), was
approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee in July but
has yet to receive a floor vote in the Senate and House.
In 2000, the U.S. authorized cash-only agricultural exports
to Cuba, which brought $30 million in sales to Arkansas
annually. Since Cuba prefers to buy on credit, sales have
fallen.
September 29, 2015: Presidents Obama and Castro meet on the
sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
For the first time in more than 60 years, a U.S. president
meets with a Cuban president on U.S. soil.
October 6, 2015: Secretary of Commerce Pritzker makes
official trip to Cuba.
Sec. Penny Pritzker becomes the second U.S. cabinet
official to visit the island since Fidel Castro's 1959
revolution.
Sec. Pritzker meets with the country's ministers of foreign
affairs and foreign investment.
Sec. Pritzker tours Mariel, the site of a $1 billion
investment to create a major shipping hub in Cuba.
October 14, 2015: Nine state governors sign onto bipartisan
letter supporting end to Cuban embargo.
The governors of Alabama, California, Idaho, Minnesota,
Montana, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia and Washington write
letter to Congressional leadership highlighting the harm that
the embargo has done to American agriculture exports.
October 25, 2015: North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner
Doug Goehring leads North Dakota agriculture delegation to
Cuba.
North Dakota Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring leads a
delegation of representatives from commodity, agricultural,
and commerce organizations to the island.
Full list of participants: North Dakota Department of
Agriculture; Bank of North Dakota; Fredrikson & Byron, P.A.;
Great Northern Ag; Northarvest Bean Growers Association;
North Dakota Grain Growers Association; North Dakota Mill &
Elevator; North Dakota Trade Office; North Dakota Wheat
Commission; and Red River Farm Network.
November 2, 2015: Cuba hosts annual international trade
fair.
It is estimated that 50 U.S. companies attend the fair,
more than ever before.
Cuba signs first-ever roaming agreement with U.S. telecom
company Sprint Corp.
November 17, 2015: Engage Cuba partners with the Atlantic
Council to release a poll from America's ``Heartland'' voters
profiling their opinions on Cuba.
The poll's findings show bipartisan support in
``Heartland'' states--Iowa, Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee--for
restoring diplomatic relations with Cuba, lifting the travel
ban and ending the embargo.
November 18, 2015: U.S. and Cuba sign historic
environmental pact.
The agreement marks the first accord between the two
countries since the announcement that they would be
normalizing diplomatic relations.
The accord will protect nearby fish and marine life living
off the coasts of both countries and allow U.S. and Cuban
scientists to collaborate on research.
Cuba's marine ecosystem is considered one of the best
preserved and most diverse in the world.
November 19, 2015: Debit cards become available for use in
Cuba.
MasterCard and Stonegate Bank (based in Ft. Lauderdale)
announce that their cards are now active for use in hotels,
restaurants and other stores in Cuba.
They become the first financial institutions to take
advantage of new business openings with Cuba.
Americans travelling to Cuba will be able to use these
cards at 10,000 merchants that accept the cards.
ATM transactions will be available in 2016.
November 29, 2015: Governor Greg Abbott leads Texas
delegation to Cuba.
Governor Greg Abbott leads a delegation of Texas
agriculture and port officials and local businesses to Cuba.
While in Cuba, the delegation meets with the Ministry of
Foreign Trade and Investment, the Port of Mariel, the Chamber
of Commerce and two Cuban entities, Alimport and Cimex.
Texas-Cuba trade relations have decreased over the years
due to restrictions and regulations. If full trade were
allowed, Texas could see an economic impact of $43 billion.
December 7, 2015: Engage Cuba launches Tennessee State
Council.
The 16-person council includes representatives from a range
of industries, including agriculture, academia,
manufacturing, business, and the arts.
December 8, 2015: U.S. and Cuba hold the first round of
discussions on mutual property claims.
The two governments begin negotiations over U.S.
individuals' and companies' properties that were seized after
the 1959 revolution; Cuba also presents counterclaims of
economic damages stemming from the embargo.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arizona.
Mr. FLAKE. Madam President, I want to first pay tribute to Senator
Leahy for the long path to getting here with Cuba, for all of the work
that he has done, and to his capable staff, including Tim Rieser and
people on my staff, including Chandler Morse and others, who have
worked on this issue for so long. I have appreciated working with
Senator Leahy on this issue.
It was 1 year ago today, as Senator Leahy mentioned, that we had
received a call just a few days prior, asking if we would participate
in a quick mission down to Cuba, but we had to keep quiet about it for
a few days, which was a bit difficult. One year ago today, we got on
the President's plane, as Senator Leahy mentioned, and went down and
picked up Alan Gross. It was wonderful to have Alan's wife Judy on the
plane with us. What a joyous occasion that was to see that reunion
there in Cuba and then to climb on the plane.
As we climbed away from Cuba, I will never forget that about 20
minutes into the flight, the pilot came on and said that we had now
entered U.S. airspace. Alan Gross stood up, threw his arms in the air,
and then breathed deeply. Then he said, ``Now I finally know I am
free.''
Then we watched on the news on the plane as the announcement came
that we would be changing our policy, that we would be seeking full
diplomatic relations, and that many of the policies of the past would
go away.
It has been a wonderful year to see some of that happen. One of my
best moments--favorite moments--in Congress was going down with Senator
Leahy again and watching the American flag being raised over the U.S.
Embassy in Havana after 54 long years, to have those marines there, the
same three marines who had lowered the flag in 1961 and who returned to
Cuba to help raise the flag back up. What a wonderful symbol. What a
wonderful thing about a new policy and a new way forward with Cuba.
It is significant to note, as Senator Leahy mentioned, that after
spending 5 years in prison in Cuba, Alan Gross came out of prison
without bitterness. From that time forward, he has promoted meeting
with colleagues of ours
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and telling anybody who will listen that this way forward is the right
way forward on Cuba; that we should change our policies; that we ought
to have closer cooperation and diplomatic relations; and that the
problems that Cuba has are the problems of the Cuban Government, not
the Cuban people.
I want to pay tribute to Alan Gross for that. He continues to work
till this day for better relations between Cuba and the United States.
That is a significant thing. When Senator Tom Udall and I visited Alan
Gross in prison in November of last year, just 1 month prior to his
release, he was in a bad way. He had lost a lot of weight. He had lost
some of his teeth. It was a tough time to be in prison. Being there for
5 years, he missed many events at home with his family.
I cannot imagine coming out of that experience and still feeling the
compassion that he has for the Cuban people. Just last night it was
announced that the U.S. and Cuba have agreed to enter into a bilateral
agreement on flights to allow airlines from America, U.S. carriers to
fly to Cuba. Instead of just charter flights, we will now have directly
scheduled flights. That will allow Americans to travel to Cuba easier
and more inexpensively.
I would encourage all Americans who can find themselves in 1 of the
12 categories for travel to do so. There are a group of Cubans who came
to the United States a while ago. They were asked: What can America do
for you? These were Cuban entrepreneurs who are looking to change the
system in Cuba.
They said: Visit Cuba. Come see us. Come to our private restaurants.
Stay in our homes. Spend money in Cuba that we have access to. I should
note that those who oppose a new policy--the new policy that we have
with Cuba--often say that if you travel to Cuba, every dime that you
spend goes right to the Cuban Government. That is not the case.
In Cuba right now, you can stay at a bed and breakfast. In fact,
Airbnb has 2,500 listings in Cuba. You can stay at an Airbnb. The bulk
of that money, most of that goes to those Cubans who are hosting you,
not the Cuban Government. You can eat at a private restaurant where
those who prepare the meal, serve the meal, and cook the meals will see
the bulk of that money to them.
In fact, about 20 percent of the Cuban workforce is now outside of
the Cuban Government. So, when Americans travel to Cuba, Cubans
benefit. So I would encourage my colleagues and others to take the
opportunity to go down to Cuba and travel. The policy that we had for
54 years in Cuba failed to produce the results that we want to see. We
want to see a democratic Cuba that respects human rights.
The Cuban Government still has a long way to go, but I truly believe
that the best way forward, the best way to make progress on those areas
that we still need to make progress on, is with full diplomatic
relations. Hopefully, we soon will have an Ambassador in Cuba who is
the Ambassador. Our diplomatic team, led by Jeff DeLaurentis, does a
great job in Cuba, but we ought to have a U.S. Ambassador there.
Americans traveling to Cuba doing legal business in Cuba ought to
have the same protections they have anywhere else in the world. We need
good representation, full representation, in countries that are not
friendly to us more than we need it in countries that are friendly to
us. So I would encourage the Obama administration to move forward on
those and other areas as well.
There are still some measures the Obama administration can take that
will improve the lives of Cubans and make it more likely that we can
make progress in these other areas. Having said that, let me just say--
you often don't hear it from this side of the aisle--but I want to
praise and applaud this President, President Obama, for taking the
measures that he has taken on Cuba. It took guts to do so.
There is still opposition to the positions that he has taken, but he
has taken a position that helps the Cuban people, and it helps
Americans. It is good for our national interests. It is good for our
security interests.
With that, I want to thank again the Senator from Vermont for the
work that he has done on this issue. It has been a pleasure working
with him. This past year has been a great year in terms of U.S.-Cuba
relations. Here is to an even better year ahead.
I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The majority leader.
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