Mauricio Claver-Carone

I believe that if our principle policy, if we are going to export our principles as we said, we should also make sure that we do it under conditions and under terms that are consistent with those principles.

What the Cuban regime wants is... it wants our taxpayers to guarantee it.

I am not against taking money from Castro. To the contrary, sell him as much as you can. Take his cash.

We are talking about providing private financing to one company owned by the Castro regime that is going to hold food hostage over a people.

If we give away the United States, everything that is in trust for the future or Cuba, for future Cuba's democrats and others, we are essentially handing it to this mafia.

If we start acting like Canadians, Europe, and French, and everybody else, going on vacation in these Cuban military resorts and embracing this regime, we are going to lose being that beacon of hope to the United States.

I say, well, why do we want to follow the failed policy of even more countries?

It is abundantly clear, and not just me, the International Trade Commission, in a 2007 report, acknowledged that the Castro regime particularly targets states and districts with certain agriculture populations in order to indirectly…

It's really a privilege to be here and join you today to discuss these important and consequential issues surrounding U.S. trade policy toward Cuba.

But I think that brings to an important point is the reason we have these travel-related, tourism-related transactions in Cuba is because it's the Cuban military and security services' number one source of income.

I, for one, have no problem with taking cash away from the Castro regime, and that's not a point of contention in this hearing in any way.