Expressing solidarity with Cuban citizens demonstrating peacefully for fundamental freedoms, condemning the Cuban regime's acts of repression, and calling for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding and I thank him for his support. I want to thank the chairman of the committee as well for his agreeing to have this come to the floor, and I look forward to his support.

I want to say, Mr. Speaker, I have talked to a lot of Members about this. The policies that we have regarding Cuba are subject to debate and subject to differences. While I think, Mr. Speaker, there are no differences--there are--in this Congress, that we are all for supporting those who seek democracy and who seek the benefits of freedom and who seek the welfare of their families associated with that freedom. I don't think there is a single Member who wasn't appalled by the way peaceful protesters in Cuba were brutally suppressed in July.

I doubt there is anyone here who is not concerned that such actions will be repeated this month when the next protests are scheduled to occur. So this is a very timely resolution because it anticipates that there will be another group of people who will have the courage to stand up and to speak up on behalf of freedom in their country.

There was a resolution passed by the United States Senate on August 3, 2021, although it doesn't exactly mirror our resolution. Frankly, our resolution is somewhat less specific in terms of criticism and in terms of policy.

Why? Because we wanted this to be about human rights. We wanted it to be about people who stand up for freedom. We wanted it to be another statement of the thousands that we have made in countries throughout this globe that suppress the rights of people and that imprison people because they try to express their views. But this resolution that was passed in the Senate was sponsored by my counterpart, the majority whip, Mr. Durbin; by Mr. Kaine from Virginia; Mr. Schatz from Hawaii; Mr. Coons from Delaware; Mr. Booker from New Jersey; Ms. Cortez Masto from Nevada; Mr. Brown from Ohio; Mr. Padilla from California; Mr. Warner from Virginia; Mr. Cardin from my own State of Maryland; Ms. Rosen from Nevada; Mr. Warnock from Georgia; Mr. Lujan from New Mexico, our former chair of the campaign committee; and Ms. Hassan from New Hampshire; along with many Republicans. My point is that this was a unanimous consent, so everybody was for it.

The vote we take on this resolution is a simple one. The text of the resolution is clear. It states that this House--all of us--stands in solidarity with Cubans seeking to express themselves and seek a redress of grievances from their leaders. It affirms that the Cuban people ought to be able to enjoy the same access to information and the internet as Americans and other free people do around the world. And it urges the Biden administration to find ways to promote freedom, human rights, and access to basic needs in Cuba.

I believe that these are goals we can support overwhelmingly. I understand that some Members believe that the text of this resolution does not include items on policy that they would like to have. I certainly think that is a legitimate concern, and there is no reason why we cannot have resolutions that speak to that. But this is singularly focused on the rights of people.

John Kennedy said that we will bear any burden to defend any peoples who essentially seek freedom. That is what this resolution does. It is simple and straightforward.

I have supported many of these policies as chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and the Helsinki Commission, where resolution after resolution said to Soviet satellites that the Helsinki signature of the Russians on that document demanded that they observe the human rights of those folks. This is a similar resolution.

I hope all Members would share my view that a strong, bipartisan, and united vote by this House will send a message to the people of Cuba that they are not alone, that the American people stand with those who speak out in peaceful protest, and that Democrats and Republicans stand together and in support of the freedoms they seek.

Mr. Speaker, in conclusion, I ask my colleagues to join me in supporting this resolution. I hope that the valid concerns and differences Members have on both sides of the aisle when it comes to Cuba will not preclude us from agreeing that we ought to stand in solidarity with those who are seeking the same rights that we enjoy in this extraordinary country in which we live. That is why I will be voting an enthusiastic and strong ``yes'' on this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the resolution (H. Res. 760) expressing solidarity with Cuban citizens demonstrating peacefully for fundamental freedoms, condemning the Cuban regime's acts of repression, and calling for the immediate release of arbitrarily detained Cuban citizens.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and include extraneous material on H. Res. 760.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, H. Res. 760, introduced by my friend and colleague, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz, together with my friend, Congressman Diaz-Balart, and chair of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Congressman Sires, supports the basic human rights of the Cuban people and stands with them in their right to peacefully protest their own government.

In July, the largest protest in decades swept the island of Cuba. Activists, in turn, were beaten and jailed by the government. Many remain jailed. According to Human Rights Watch, many have been subjected to abuse and torture simply for standing up for access to food, to medicine, to information, and to have their rights respected.

This resolution expresses solidarity with the Cuban people ahead of planned nationwide protests for November 15. The organizers of these protests sought approval from the government, as the Cuban constitution allows for legitimate protest. They were denied.

We must stand with the people of Cuba as they exercise their right to free expression. We must condemn the violent response to peaceful protests by the Cuban people. That is what this resolution does.

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleagues for working to bring this resolution to the floor, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), the majority leader of the House of Representatives.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Pennsylvania (Ms. Wild).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), who is a great champion for human rights and an outspoken champion for those human rights when they are violated so close to our own shores.

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentlewoman from California (Ms. Lee).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Lois Frankel).

Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 15 seconds to the gentlewoman from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Cuellar).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Crist).

Mr. Speaker, the people of Florida stand with the people of Cuba.

I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Demings), another colleague from Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Mrs. Murphy), my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Soto).

Mr. Speaker, before we vote on this, I yield an additional 1 minute to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Wasserman Schultz), the driving force behind this.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume for the purpose of closing.

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank Mr. Green, I want to thank Ms. Wasserman Schultz and Mr. Diaz-Balart, as well as our good friend Mr. Sires, all of them, for their bipartisan leadership of this important resolution. I want to thank Senator Menendez and Senator Rubio for the same.

We have the opportunity today here, at this moment, to show unequivocally that the United States stands with the people of Cuba, that we stand with them in their desire for basic rights, that we want to see relations between the United States and the Cuban people flourish, that we support today and will always support the Cuban people in their pursuit of freedom, the right to free expression, and the right to live and be free.

I thank the bill sponsors for their important work on this resolution. I urge all of my colleagues to stand for human rights, to stand with the people of Cuba, and to support this resolution.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership as well on human rights worldwide.

Mr. Speaker, I proudly rise to urge my colleagues to support H. Res. 760. I authored this bipartisan resolution co-led by my dear friend, Mario Diaz-Balart, to send a message to the brave Cubans who are desperately yearning for freedom and legitimate self-governance: The American people are firmly by your side.

The passionate human cry for self-determination ringing out from the streets of Havana has moved this Congress and achieved something beautiful and all too rare. It has united Democrats and Republicans behind this call for freedom.

Today, we are here to do something simple and unifying that is at the heart of American values: support human rights and freedom of expression and freedom from repression.

Today, this body stands arm in arm to condemn the Cuban regime's acts of repression. Together, we proclaim the strongest possible support for the Cuban people to take a courageous stand in the streets on November 15, as they did on July 11, and peacefully express their opposition to the brutality and dehumanization of the Cuban regime.

As representatives of the American people, we proudly express unyielding solidarity with the Cuban people who wish to peacefully assemble and boldly demand their freedom from oppression.

The regime has all the tools of repression in their possession, but the Cuban people are armed with truth, conviction, and courage. Dictators thrive on silence, lies, and fear. That is why the resolution before this Chamber today is so important. This body must use our platform to shed light on the tyranny that casts a shadow over such a beautiful island.

The Cuban regime's deception, repression, and arbitrary imprisonment of citizens, activists, and artists cannot withstand the people's demands for freedom, agency, and accountability.

By passing this resolution today, we will make sure the Cuban people's calls for freedom are not silenced. Instead, we will amplify them as we are here this afternoon.

And we are not alone. In adopting this resolution, we will join with the European Parliament who adopted a resolution earlier this summer that condemns the Cuban regime's blatant disregard for human rights.

Now we too must loudly proclaim that this Congress stands for democracy and denounces the unaccountable corruption clinging to power just across the Straits of Florida.

Mr. Speaker, I want to take one moment to thank all of those, including President Biden, and especially President Biden, for standing with the Cuban people; for standing up for freedom, for free and fair elections on the island, for freedom of expression, and for making sure that we can help hold this unaccountable regime accountable.

I also want to thank those who helped deliver this message today, my good friends: Albio Sires, Mario Diaz-Balart, and, of course, Leader Hoyer. And I also want to thank Chairman Meeks for working with me on this resolution as well and my colleagues from Florida. Without their hard work and the efforts of many other allies of Cuban democracy, we could not send this powerful, bipartisan message today.

Mr. Speaker, make no mistake. We are united today around the Cuban people's fight for libertad and patria y vida.

I ask all Members to embrace the unifying principles in this resolution which avoids the policy arguments and expresses our support for basic human rights. Who could be against that?

I urge all of my colleagues to stand behind and side by side with the Cuban people and support their pursuit of liberty and justice. I urge a ``yes'' vote on H. Res. 760.

Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

Libertad para Cuba. Patria y vida.

(English translation of Spanish is as follows: Freedom for Cuba. Country and life.)

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I support this resolution expressing solidarity with the freedom-loving Cuban citizens, condemning the regime's violence against innocent protesters, and calling on our international partners to pledge support for Cuban freedom.

Mr. Speaker, I also want to thank my colleagues, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Mario Diaz-Balart, and Albio Sires for their work on this resolution.

For over 60 years, Cubans have been held hostage by a tyrannical dictatorship. The Communists have bankrupted a beautiful country, condemning three generations to misery, and separating countless families.

Castro's Cuba is also a threat to regional stability and security, trafficking weapons to North Korea, propping up Venezuela's cruel regime, and forging alliances with pariahs like Russia and China.

The Cuban regime is a cancer that has metastasized throughout Latin America. Starting on July 11, tens of thousands of protestors across the island demanded and pleaded for an end to the oppressive regime. Some were even waving the greatest symbol of liberty known to mankind, the American flag.

Since the protests began, Ranking Member McCaul has called on the majority to consider a resolution standing

in solidarity with the Cuban people; each time it was blocked. I am pleased that the leadership has finally allowed a measure to be considered 4 months after the initial protests.

Meanwhile, the Senate unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution reinforcing Congress' support for the pro-democracy movement in Cuba. As Members of Congress and Americans, we have a moral obligation to support them.

The United States remains committed to democracy and respect for human rights in the Western Hemisphere, and this resolution urges the international community to join us in these efforts.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this measure and advocate for many Cubans who cannot speak for themselves. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart).

Mr. Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the gentlewoman from Florida (Ms. Salazar).

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

I would like to first associate myself with the comments that the majority leader made at the beginning of his comments, where he described a significant overlap, a place here where both parties can come together to support this resolution. We all agree on the importance of human rights.

I am hopeful a dialogue on the policy differences that he mentioned occurs soon. The shift toward authoritarianism in Latin America continues, and I believe most of this body recognizes Cuba's hand in all of that.

Patria y vida. Cuba libre.

(English translation of Spanish is as follows: Country and life. Free Cuba.)

Once again, I want to thank my friends, Ms. Wasserman Schultz, Mr. Diaz-Balart, and Mr. Sires, for leading this measure, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be an original cosponsor and co-author of House Resolution 760, which demonstrates the United States' firm commitment to standing with the Cuban people.

On July eleventh, we witnessed an awakening in Cuba. It began in San Antonio de los Banos, just ten miles from Bejucal, the town where I was born, and then spread to over sixty towns and cities throughout Cuba. The Cuban people rose up and spoke with one voice to call for freedom. Cubans risked their lives by demonstrating against this repressive regime.

As members of the United States Congress, we must make clear that we stand with them. Many Cubans have paid a steep price for their courage. More than seven hundred people were detained or forcibly disappeared in the wake of the protests. This regime showed its true colors, firing live ammunition into crowds and using beatings, arbitrary arrests, and torture to try to stop people from protesting. It blocked internet access to prevent Cubans from communicating with each other and with the world. But I believe that the Cuban people can and will prevail.

These protests, while historic, did not emerge from thin air. For more than sixty years, the Cuban people have endured unspeakable suffering. But as the regime has expanded its repression to go after not just dissidents but also artists and academics and bloggers, a new generation of Cubans has shown its creativity and bravery. The San Isidro movement, which came together in response to a decree aimed at censoring artistic expression, has unlocked something very powerful. By bringing together artists, academics, and Cubans from all walks of life, the leaders of the San Isidro movement have shown the power of collective action to strip away the veneer that the regime tries to present to the world. Underneath the propaganda and the myths, we see a fragile and failed dictatorship that can only hold onto power through repression, corruption, and cronyism. The brutal treatment of the Associated Press journalist Ramon Espinosa showed just how desperate this regime is to hide the reality in Cuba from the rest of the world.

That desperation is the reason why the regime is now prohibiting planned protests for November 15th. The regime is threatening those who plan to demonstrate that they will face severe repercussions, even though they are merely asking to express themselves peacefully, as is their fundamental right.

The question before the U.S. Congress is whether we will answer the call of the Cuban people. Will we acknowledge them and say ``we see you, we hear you, and we are with you''? I hope the answer is yes.

As many of my colleagues know, I left Cuba at the age of eleven. Ever since then, I have never given up hope that one day Cuba would become a democracy. I will never stop fighting to help the Cuban people become free.

I thank my good friends, Congresswoman Wasserman Schultz and Congressman Diaz-Balart, for their leadership. And I urge my colleagues to support this bipartisan resolution.