Normalizing U.S. Relations with Cuba

Floor Speech

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Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I was in Havana, Cuba, when the President of
the United States declared that he was going to relax the restrictions
that we have on the embargo in Cuba, and I tell you that the people in
Havana rejoiced. In the streets of Havana, they said there were two
basic things they liked about America: one was American movies, and the
second was everything else.

When I got to come back home through Miami, at the airport, people
with Cuban backgrounds--Americans--were so excited about the
opportunity for America to rejoin the family of nations and to
recognize the contributions that Cuba can make. We thought that, today,
we would be hearing a rejoicing for those people who should have never
been in jail in Cuba who were released. Obviously, there are some
people who have a different opinion.

I am here today to say that, with all due respect to those Americans
and to those Cubans who suffer under the dictatorship in Cuba, we feel
their pain, but now, American policy should override the pain that a
few feel for what is in the best national interest of our great Nation.

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