Marco Rubio

I am pleased to announce that we started this new Congress with a great bipartisan bill.

Since President Obama's December 17 announcement to establish ties with the Castro government, there has been an increase in the number of Cubans risking their lives to reach freedom in the United States.

Cuban dictator Raul Castro has since been named for the first time as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People.

There is no economic opening to Cuba. There is an economic opening to GAESA, which is the Cuban military-run holding company.

I have talked about it extensively in the past. As I listen to some of this conversation, I think there is still this perception that somehow the reason why there is no Internet infrastructure in Cuba is because the United States has not…

We've also heard multiple anecdotes from Cuban democracy leaders and political prisoners who have told us that during the beatings and attacks against them now, they are mocked with comments, such as 'this one is courtesy of Obama' and…

The reason why people in Cuba do not have access to the Internet ultimately is because the Cuban Government will not allow it.

I am very proud. They are one of the first United States businesses to take advantage of new economic opportunities in Cuba that my colleagues, some who sit on this committee, would take away.

Is it not true that the vast majority of the impediment to access to the Internet and technology in Cuba is a result of Cuban Government censorship?

Their views on human rights are not legitimate. They are immoral.

I think we must do everything we can to promote robust ties between the citizens of the United States and Cuba.

Human rights and freedom of expression must be central to all of our engagements with the Cuban Government.

Despite differences we may have with the government, our foreign policy should always endeavor to support the country's people.

The President's policy has reset the geopolitical calculus in the region and will provide new opportunities for cooperation.

Our previous policy did not achieve the progress that we wanted to see, so a new approach is needed.

Our goal has been, and always will be, to facilitate peaceful changes that lead to a free and pluralistic Cuba.

Unfortunately, our sanctions on Cuba have denied Cubans access to technology that has empowered individuals around the world.

So then why would we not limit our opening in travel to say that if you travel to Cuba, you can only stay at one of these casas particulares or one of these other nongovernmental, nonmilitary-owned facilities?

There is no moral equivalence between our view of human rights and theirs?

I also want to thank Senator Boxer.

We have no illusions the Cuban Government will change its behavior simply because of our new policy approach.

And that is our hope here, to see what we can do with American foreign policy to bring that day about soon.

The Cuban Adjustment Act.

The important point is that the Government of Cuba is really not sovereign because they are not elected. They are a totalitarian government.

Cuba will change when the laws that enable and protect the criminal behavior of the forces of repression and corrupt elements that sustain the regime change.