Jayapal, Jackson Statement on Delegation to Cuba

Havana, Cuba - U.S. Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA-07) and Jonathan Jackson (IL-01) released the following statement upon the conclusion of their five-day Congressional delegation to Cuba:

"The illegal U.S. blockade of fuel to Cuba-90 miles south of the United States-adds to the longest embargo in world history and is causing untold suffering to the Cuban people. The United States prevented a single drop of oil from entering Cuba for over three months. This is cruel collective punishment-effectively an economic bombing of the infrastructure of the country-that has produced permanent damage. It must stop immediately.

"We witnessed firsthand premature babies in incubators, weighing just two pounds, who are at tremendous risk because their ventilators and incubators cannot function without electricity. Children cannot attend school because there is no fuel for them or their teachers to travel. Cancer patients cannot receive lifesaving treatments because of lack of medications. There is a water shortage because there is little electricity to pump water. Businesses have closed. Families cannot keep food refrigerated, and food production on the island has dropped to just 10 percent of the people's needs.

"We heard from a wide variety of voices-families, religious leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, the Cuban government, Latin American and African ambassadors, humanitarian aid organizations, and Cubans across the political spectrum, including dissidents. Across all sectors, there is agreement: this illegal blockade must end immediately. We do not believe that the majority of Americans would want this kind of cruelty and inhumanity to continue in our name.

"The Cuban government has sent many signals that this is a new moment for the country. While we were there, President Diaz-Canel released over 2,000 prisoners. The Cuban government has begun to liberalize its economy with significant reforms, including allowing Cuban American entrepreneurs to invest in private businesses in Cuba. Entrepreneurship has grown substantially, with small- and medium-sized private businesses now comprising large parts of the economy. Significantly, the Cuban government has invited in the FBI to conduct an independent investigation of a lethal speedboat shooting. The remaining obstacles to progress in Cuba now rest with the United States changing our outdated, Cold War-era policy of coercive economic measures and military pressures against Cuba.

"True reform will only come from charting a new course. The United States and Cuba must immediately enter into real negotiations that provide for the dignity and freedom of the Cuban people and the tremendous benefits to the American people that will accrue from a real collaboration between our two countries."

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security