Rob Portman: “I thank my colleague from Vermont, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate. I was able to listen to some of his…”

“I thank my colleague from Vermont, the President pro tempore of the U.S. Senate. I was able to listen to some of his remarks regarding Cuba. This is a truly historic time in that island country. The demonstrations, I am told, are as large as they have been since at least 1959. My hope is that the countries of the Americas, all of which I just visited--four of them down in Latin America--that believe in democracy, that believe in the ability for people to come together and gather and express their continues, that believe in strong human rights, would come together and support the Cuban people at this critical point. My understanding is, there are some opportunities to ensure that internet access continues among those demonstrating. My understanding is that there are human rights abuses occurring even now as we talk with regard to those demonstrators. I appreciate my colleague. He has spent a lot of time trying to take the Cuban relationship, which has been a fraught one, and make it better. My hope is that what we are seeing right now on the streets of Havana and elsewhere around that country will lead to a better day for the people of Cuba.”