Marco Rubio

Every single member of this committee, I believe the vast majority of American people, and this administration, as well as my leadership of my party, all share the goal of a free and democratic Cuba.

It is very important that the U.S. Government continues to help Cuba but that the aid be directed to the people, to civil society and not to the government because, unfortunately, the government uses the resources that are sent to repress…

Would it be a mistake to move forward on changes with policy toward Cuba without direct and ongoing consultation with civil society and the democratic opposition on the island.

The United States can engage the Cuban democratic community, with all its plurality, and sustain a frank, measured, and honest conversation with it.

The pursuit of friendship between the United States of America and Cuba is inseparable from the pursuit of liberty.

No country ever became a democracy simply because of trade and tourists.

We condemn any conditions or restrictions placed on citizens who peacefully exercise their fundamental freedoms, whether they are recently released political prisoners or not.

You cannot do business with a tyrant. It just does not work that way.

Do you agree or disagree with my position that these democracy programs are essential to help the civil society and the democratic opposition in Cuba flourish?

Cuba yes, Castro no.

Your government must move forward and extend a hand to the people and government of Cuba, but with the request that the hands of Cuban citizens not be tied.

Is there an example of a country in the modern era that has gone from a tyranny to a dictatorship because of these sorts of economic openings that then have led the government to make political changes?

None of this, Cuba's repression, its poverty, its isolation, is the fault of the United States or of the embargo.

So Poland is the example. We will examine that further at a later date.

So the CEO of this company that owns all these hotels on the island is also a general of this repressive government.

I think there is so much up-side for more American engagement in the Americas.

This is so counter to our culture. This is so counter to standards of human rights that we just urge you and encourage you to rethink this.

I have always felt that we ought to have more Americans traveling to Cuba, not fewer.

But what about the policy changes?

The Castro government has turned our policy against us, and how this has helped an authoritarian form of government survive.

Is it not fair to say that if tomorrow an American gets on an airplane and travels to Cuba and stays at a hotel and rents a car and fills up the tank of their rental car at a gas station and eats at a restaurant and shops at his stores, in…

In announcing the policy change, the President stated that this is fundamentally about freedom and openness.

It is not an acknowledgement that things are better in terms of human rights in Cuba or any more democracy.

I think President Obama had courage, just as Nixon had courage to go to China, just as Reagan had courage to deal with Gorbachev, just as Bill Clinton and John Kerry and John McCain had courage to fight for normalization with Vietnam.

So we will never agree with the Cuban Government that in order to open an embassy, we will agree to limit our personnel.