Opposing Rapprochement with Cuba

Floor Speech

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Mr. BILIRAKIS. Thank you for holding this very important Special
Order.

Way back in the Florida Legislature, when I was a member of the Cuban
Caucus, so proud to be a member of the Cuban Caucus, I started speaking
out against the Castro brothers' brand of oppression.

Over the past 5 years, I joined with all of you to decry Alan Gross'
arrest. I am thankful for his recent release. Alan Gross' freedom was
long overdue, we all agree. I am glad he is safely on U.S. soil, but a
large injustice remains: the plights of Cuban citizens, who have
suffered for over five decades under the Castro regime in search of
basic human rights and political freedoms that we as Americans,
frankly, take for granted.

Then, almost out of nowhere, the Obama administration decides to
normalize relations with Cuba. This will allow American dollars to the
rescue of the Castro brothers at a critical time.

Their normal economic benefactors--Russia and Venezuela--cannot
afford to help. Now, more than ever, economic sanctions can be used as
an effective tool to force the Castro regime to afford basic human
rights and political freedoms to all of Cuba's citizens.

Scholars have noted that normalizing our economic policy with
oppressive countries, like China or Vietnam, have produced no
significant improvements in human rights treatment.

Given the precedent, there is no reason to believe the situation with
Cuba will yield significant different results. In fact, we already know
that the suffering for Cuba's citizens will continue, unfortunately.
Raul Castro proclaimed that there would be no renunciation of any of
their principles. Cuban restrictions on free speech, assembly, and
press will remain. They proved it just this last week.

Travel and tourism will remain strictly controlled by the Castro
regime. Tourism dollars that Americans will spend will go directly to
the oppressors.

We cannot ignore the sense of betrayal that Cuban defectors feel in
response to the President's plan. We should be demanding genuine
freedom: release of all political prisoners, universal human rights,
Democratic principles, and a free market for the Cuban people.

In order to ensure the citizens of Cuba stand a chance to benefit
from this ill-advised agreement, Cuba's despots must relinquish control
and eradicate their tools of tyranny. Actual human rights reforms must
occur before any commercial or political normalization takes place.

I will continue to monitor the actions on the island in search of
positive movement.

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