Energy and Water Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2012

Floor Speech

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Mr. RUBIO. Mr. President, I wish to thank the majority leader for that. I will be brief. I think my colleagues touched upon it and the public policy behind this.

Lost in all the things happening around the world that are very important, I think we need to remind ourselves that a few miles off the coast of the United States the most repressive government in the Western Hemisphere conducts its business and is able to fund it through a lot of this interaction going on as we speak between commercial interests in the United States and in Cuba.

By the way, I know these are folks in business and are not doing anything with bad intentions, but the practical intention of this agreed interaction with the Castro regime is hard currency--money they take and use to pay for this repressive arm. This is happening at a time when we have seen this year more repression than we have in recent years as the Castro government continues to fear it is losing its grip on power and on influence over its own society.

I would say I am supportive of what Senator Menendez is trying to do, and I urge our colleagues to keep a watchful eye on what happens in Cuba.

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