Hilda L. Solis: “I am also a proud member of the working group, the Cuban working group that was established almost 2 years ago, and I…”

“I am also a proud member of the working group, the Cuban working group that was established almost 2 years ago, and I have to tell my colleagues, as someone from California, I am on the other side of the country, but I know that many in my district in Los Angeles and throughout California have had the chance to visit and also meet with people from Cuba. One of the things they tell me as a Congresswoman is that they would love to be able to go and spend more money there, to interact through educational programs, to visit different tourist sites there, but to engage with the people there. On my visit there 2 years ago, I found it very striking that yes, indeed, the free market is working. It is working in Cuba. I visited a small restaurant where I sat with the family who owned their own restaurant. The money that we gave them in dollars was sufficient at the time. Maybe if we did more of that, they would be able to have a lot more, but we are not allowing for that. We need to lift the travel ban.”