Transportation, Housing, Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2016 and Providing for Consideration of H.R. 2578, Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies Appropriations Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. I thank the chairman for yielding.

As the chairman points out, do we really want to trample on the property rights of innocent Americans whose properties were illegally stolen by the Cuban regime?

The gentleman from South Carolina is correct, the concept is simple, but the concept he doesn't seem to understand is this: it is not about travel to Cuba. This is about protecting American properties that were illegally seized by the Castro government. We are selling out these legitimate property claims to thousands of American citizens. Respect for private property rights, Mr. Chairman, has been a consistent American policy since the founding of our Republic.

The Cuban regime illegally confiscated property from American citizens. Our citizens have not been compensated, and we know there is no respect for the rule of law in Cuba. If an American's property has been seized, what does that American do? Well, there is no fair court for recess. Let me tell you what the Inter-American Law Review has noted about the Cuban regime's confiscation of U.S. assets. It says it is the ``largest uncompensated taking of American property by a foreign government in history.''

So this is what this amendment is about. If this amendment to strike the use of confiscated property were to pass, we would be, in essence, allowing and condoning the trafficking of stolen goods. Currently, there are over 8,800 claims certified by the Foreign Claims Settlement Commission, which is under the U.S. Department of Justice. American citizens whose properties were seized illegally--almost 9,000 have filed claims--the Castro regime doesn't care. These certified claims, are they just small? No. They are worth approximately $8 billion.

This body must protect the interests of those citizens, of all of our citizens, so I implore our colleagues to not support these misguided attempts to normalize relations with the Cuban regime on the backs of American citizens. We are better than that. We must not allow this amendment to pass. We are about protecting American private property rights. This language in the bill protects American citizens, constituents that we represent in our congressional districts.

Is this Chamber really going to side with a Communist tyrant in Cuba over American citizens? The Cuban regime should not be allowed to use American properties stolen from our citizens for its commercial benefit. If the U.S. endorses such a practice, what message will we be sending to other rogue regimes who would love to be confiscating American properties?

So, if we want to help the Cuban people, and I am sure that all of us do, let's not give their oppressors more resources to violate their rights. We are here to protect private property rights of American citizens. We must reject this amendment, and rather than striking the provisions directly, which my colleagues could have done, they are offering limitation amendments that would prohibit funds to enforce those same provisions. Let's not do this.

I urge my colleagues to oppose this amendment. Let's not trample on the rights of American citizens.

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