Floor Statements

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize an innovative educational program in my south Florida community called the Fairchild Challenge.

As a nonprofit founded in 2002, this no-cost, environment-focused annual competition based at the world-renowned Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, located in my district, invites students from around the world to participate from a young age as active and thoughtful members of society.

The Fairchild Challenge focuses attention on conservation of the environment, while introducing students to the importance of STEM: science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

In the 2014-2015 school year, over 153,000 participants were involved in the program. High-performing schools are eligible for cash prizes, while participating students may earn college scholarships.

Through innovative programs like the Fairchild Challenge, students are sure to be conscious of the benefits of conserving our environment and may more readily engage in the STEM fields that will better prepare them for the future.

Congratulations to all the student participants of the Fairchild Challenge. Hats off especially to the board members, staff, and the many volunteers of the Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, and most especially to Mr. and Mrs. Greer, the heart and soul of these beautiful botanical gardens.

Mr. Speaker, today, we commemorate the murder by the Cuban regime of three U.S. citizens and one U.S. resident: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales.

Nineteen years ago today, the Castro brothers ordered the shoot-down of the civilian Brothers to the Rescue plane and blew them out of the sky over international air space during an unarmed, humanitarian mission.

These volunteers were devoted to searching the Straits of Florida to aid those who risked their lives on rafts to flee the oppressive yoke of the Castro regime that continues to rule over the island.

It is shameful that this same regime that is responsible for killing these innocent heroes is now sitting across the table from U.S. Government officials

and will be hosted by our own Department of State later this week--not a proud week for strong American values, Mr. Speaker.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to remind every American that February is Heart Month.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease is the most common form of mortality among both men and women. In fact, one out of every four deaths in this country is cardiac-related. And yet many of these deaths are preventable.

Small changes in diet and exercise can have an enormous and positive impact on your heart health and lifespan. We must not forget America's amazing medical researchers and practitioners who are also doing their part by pioneering innovative treatments that save lives every day.

So, please remember to love your heart this Valentine's Day, and every day.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to join my south Florida colleague, Congressman Ted Deutch, in a resolution commemorating today, the International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 70th anniversary of the liberation of the Nazi extermination camp at Auschwitz.

Today serves as a somber and grim reminder of the evil mankind is capable of as over 1.3 million people were systematically murdered in Auschwitz alone, including over 1.1 million Jews. As painful as it is to speak about the horrors of Auschwitz, we have a moral obligation to honor the memories of those who were murdered during modern humanity's darkest period.

As anti-Semitism grows throughout Europe, we must take a solemn vow that these deaths were not in vain and that we will never forget, that we will never allow such atrocities to occur again.

Mr. Speaker, I support Speaker Boehner's invitation to Prime Minister Netanyahu to address this body to discuss the Iranian threat and the growing instability in the Middle East due to the rise of global jihadist networks.

A nuclear-capable Iran will spark an arms race in the region and directly threaten America's interests as Iran continues to make progress on its intercontinental ballistic missile program. But as grave as this threat is to America, it pales in comparison to the existential threat that it poses to our democratic ally, the Jewish State of Israel.

No other nation is more familiar with the Iranian threat and the pitfalls of our ongoing nuclear negotiations than Israel, and that is why it is imperative that we hear firsthand from Prime Minister Netanyahu on Israel's assessment of Iran's nuclear program and other terrorist threats that are emanating from the Middle East.

Thank you, Speaker Boehner, for that invitation.

Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlelady for yielding.

I also want to thank Mr. Smith and my colleagues and all who are in Washington, D.C., participating in the March for Life for their unwavering commitment and support to fight on behalf of those who have no voice.

Throughout my years in Congress, Madam Speaker, and as a devoted human rights advocate, I have fought tirelessly for the fundamental rights of the innocent unborn.

As pro-life Members of Congress, we have a commitment to stand up for life and to take the necessary steps to advance legislation to the floor, and that is exactly what the U.S. House of Representatives will be doing today.

While the vast majority of Americans can agree that we have a lot of work in front of us to reduce the number of abortions, few legislators have taken any meaningful action. In fact, pro-abortion Members of Congress have sought to eliminate Federal protections on the use of taxpayer funds for abortions, both here and abroad.

Federal funds should not be used to pay for abortions, Madam Speaker, and Congressman Smith's bill would do exactly that by establishing a permanent prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion and abortion coverage. This will help save lives.

In addition, this bill also protects the conscience and religious views of millions of Americans. The vast majority of Americans also do not want their tax dollars to be used to pay for abortions. This bill would establish a permanent prohibition on taxpayer subsidies for abortion.

For many years, the Hyde amendment and other Federal prohibitions on public funding for abortion have been enacted as appropriation riders, but they are not permanent, Madam Speaker. We need to get rid of this patchwork approach and enact H.R. 7 to ensure that Federal funds are not used to pay for abortions.

I look forward to working with Mr. Smith and Ms. Foxx and others in favor of this bill and to continue working with my fellow pro-life colleagues in the House and the Senate to promote legislation that upholds the sanctity of innocent human life.

We have a responsibility to protect the unborn, and we must remain vigilant and continue to do what is right for all Americans.

I thank the gentlelady for yielding me time.

Mr. Speaker, as an 8-year-old child, I was forced to flee Havana, Cuba, with my family for the shores of the United States of America, this shining city on a hill and a beacon of hope and freedom to the world.

The Cuban American Members of Congress are all united by our love of this great country and our love and respect for freedom, for democracy, and the rule of law because of where we come from and whom we represent. For us, these principles aren't concepts that we take for granted. We cherish them because we know the alternative.

We need look no further than just 60 miles south of the United States to see the alternative, where the Castro regime has been entrenched for over 55 years and ruling the island with an iron fist.

This is Berta Soler, one of the leaders of Las Damas de Blanco, the Ladies in White, a peaceful dissident group. Berta has been detained so many times, she says to me, that she has lost count. That is why we stand united in a bipartisan manner, in steadfast opposition to any attempts by the Obama administration to normalize relations with the Castro regime.

President Obama's audacity of hubris has resulted in one exercise in folly after another, and engagement with Cuba is the height of that folly. What have we gotten in return? Let me turn to the next poster. This poster has a list of some of the many wanted criminals who have sought refuge and have gotten it in Castro's Cuba. We haven't gotten any reforms from this deal.

We haven't gotten the return of these dozens of criminals that Castro has been harboring because they have fled from justice in America, like convicted New Jersey State trooper killer Joanne Chesimard. After this deal was announced, the Castro regime said: Oh, no, all of these people, we will give them asylum. The FBI has put her on the most wanted terrorist list; yet Castro says: We will give them asylum.

What have the Cuban people received as a result of this administration's concessions? Well, 53 political prisoners supposedly were released, Mr. Speaker, like some of these activists, who were rounded up in a catch-and-release program of the Castro regime.

The administration hails this list of 53 as a victory, ignoring the fact that hundreds of political and anti-regime activists like these were arrested and detained immediately before and after the announcement of the changes, and almost 2,000 people were arrested or detained last year alone. This infamous list of 53 that has been praised by this administration and the Castro regime is another ruse.

Over a dozen individuals on that list were released prior to the December 17 announcement, including Carlos Andres Sanchez Perez. He was released over 1 year ago. Some were arrested even before June. Catch- and-release is the new program, the new playbook of the Castro regime, and Obama deliberately has fallen for that ruse.

Now, the regime will feel emboldened because the United States has just signed off on its mistreatment of its citizens, and President Obama has extended an economic lifeline to the regime that will allow it to continue this repression.

Before there can be any discussion of changing our policy toward Cuba, Mr. Speaker, all political prisoners must be released, not this fake list of 53; fair and multiparty elections must be held; and the fundamental human rights of every Cuban must be respected.

Mr. Speaker, I warn my colleagues to pay close attention to what the Obama administration is attempting to do in Cuba because this will track with its attempts at reconciliation with Iran, another rogue nation and state sponsor of terrorism. The administration's efforts in Cuba have been the test case for Iran, and the two have paralleled each other.

While the administration was holding secret talks with the Castro regime, we know that he was penning secret letters to Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei and conceding to Iran the right to enrich uranium.

These concessions to Cuba are just the tip of the iceberg, and it will open the doors to similar measures in Iran

where the Supreme Leader will see what is happening in Cuba and says: Hey, we can get away with that as well.

Both have serious consequences for our national security as other nations see that we lack the courage of our convictions, and they will be willing to test us. In fact, Nicolas Maduro after the prisoner exchange said, ``We will exchange Leopoldo Lopez,'' a human rights activist whom Nicolas Maduro has imprisoned in Venezuela, for one of the criminals in prison here in the United States. They want to test us; they want to see what they can get for holding innocents in prison.

Just look at the appeasements that this administration has made to Russia, to Iran, to North Korea. These rogue regimes will continue to act with impunity, and our allies have turned away from us because, instead of working with our allies, we have been appeasing our enemies.

Mr. Speaker, in closing, I would like for this Congress to take a close look at that list of 53 prisoners and remember that even if that were a true list, which it is not, it is not about 53. It is about freedom for all political prisoners, some of whose names we will never know.

Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:

[From National Review Online, Jan. 6, 2015]

Yes, Cuba Is a State Sponsor of Terror

(By Yleem Poblete & Jason I. Poblete)

The most senior U.S. delegation in decades will soon be in

Havana to engage a declared enemy of the United States in

discussions about ``normalizing'' relations. Covering much

more subject matter than routine migration issues, these

meetings stem in large measure from the December 17 return of

spies to Cuba who are responsible for American deaths.

Obama sent three Cuban spies back to the island, trading

them for the release of American Alan Gross. Mr. Gross had

been held hostage for five years for the ``crime'' of

teaching Jewish Cubans how to connect to the Internet. As

part of this lopsided deal, the Obama administration also

declared American policy a failure and offered a large basket

of potential economic and diplomatic benefits.

This was a significant ideological and political victory

for the Communist regime.

And there are more rewards in the offing. Administration

officials are reportedly considering removing Cuba from the

U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism--a request Raul

Castro made in May 2014 and one that the Cuban regime has

made many times in recent years. Under Section 6(j) of the

Export Administration Act, a country's designation as

supporting acts of international terrorism may be rescinded

in only two ways. Cuba is not ready to come off that list.

Quite the opposite.

In the first instance, the President must certify to the

Congress that there has been a fundamental change in the

leadership and policies of the government in question, as was

the case with Iraq after the removal of Saddam Hussein. There

is no legitimate way that administration officials can make

such a claim with respect to Cuba. Moreover, the criteria for

determining such a systemic transformation is clearly defined

in the LIBERTAD Act, known as the Helms-Burton law. For

starters, as stated in the law, Fidel and Raul Castro cannot

be part of the governing structure.

That leaves only the second option for removal from the

list. To remove Cuba's terrorism designation, the president

would need to submit a report to Congress, 45 days prior to

the proposed removal, certifying that 1) the regime has not

provided any support for international terrorism during the

preceding six months and 2) the government has provided

assurances that it will not support acts of international

terrorism in the future. Most would agree that Cuba fails on

both counts.

Cuba has supported and provided safe haven to members of

the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the Revolutionary

Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Both are U.S.-designated

Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). The Obama

administration would therefore need to remove ETA and FARC

from the FTO list, before removing Cuba from the state-

sponsors-of-terrorism list. Both actions are untenable at

this time. Unless Spain's foreign-policy establishment is

about to make a radical shift in thinking, ETA remains a

terrorist organization and there are ETA sympathizers in Cuba

who are wanted for terrible crimes against the Spanish

people. As for FARC, despite the faux peace process in Havana

the past few months, it continues to carry out violent acts

in Colombia, has no plans to lay down arms anytime soon, and

has links to al-Qaeda in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb

(AQIM).

The ``April 2014 State Department Country Reports on

Terrorism,'' however, implied that the only role the Castro

regime had with FARC was facilitating travel for the ``peace

talks'' between these terrorists and the Colombian

government. It further stated that the ETA presence in Cuba

is diminished. It would appear that a kinder-and-gentler Cuba

narrative is being written to accommodate a preconceived

policy outcome.

Administration officials have reportedly spent the last two

years creating a foundation for Obama's Cuba announcement on

December 17--all the while denying any such activity when

asked by Congress about related news reports. If this sounds

familiar, it's because it closely parallels the script used

in the negotiations leading to the release of five Taliban

leaders held at Guantanamo in exchange for Bowe Bergdahl.

The State Department terrorism report also makes references

beyond ETA and FARC--most significantly that Cuba harbors

several fugitives of U.S. justice. Terrorists, murderers, and

other violent criminals are being protected, well fed, and

supported by the Communist regime. Among these is a woman

convicted of first-degree murder, Joanne Chesimard. Also

known as Assata Shakur, she is on the FBI's Most Wanted

Terrorists list for executing a New Jersey State Police

trooper. With the help of the Black Liberation Army, she

broke out of prison and found refuge in Cuba. According to

the FBI, Chesimard ``continues to profess her radical anti-

U.S. government ideology.'' New Jersey governor Chris

Christie said recently that he wants her back in New Jersey.

He'll be waiting a long time.

Basing the decision to remove Cuba from the state-sponsors-

of-terrorism list solely on these above-referenced examples

(there is probably a great deal more in classified form), the

president would need to prove that for the six months prior

to the proposed rescission, the Cuban dictatorship did not

provide any assistance to terrorists and had unconditionally

returned U.S. fugitives. But Communist-party officials have

already stated publicly that Cuba considers Chesimard a

political asylee and, as such, not to be released into U.S.

custody.

The president would also have to accept as credible the

``assurances'' from the Havana regime that it would not

provide support in the future for international terrorism--a

difficult task given intelligence gaps highlighted in the

State Department's terrorism report. The pertinent section

states: ``There was no indication that the Cuban government

provided weapons or paramilitary training to terrorist

groups,'' but it provides no further data or analysis on

these activities. It also fails to address the relationship

and cooperation between Cuba and other state sponsors of

terrorism such as Iran, or other entities listed on the FTO

List.

And then there is the question of intelligence tainted and

manipulated by Americans spying for the Cuban regime. One of

the most notorious of these traitors, Ana Belen Montes, used

her position at the Defense Intelligence Agency to provide

Cuban handlers copious amounts of highly sensitive data,

including military contingency plans, details of

intelligence-gathering efforts, and profiles of a broad

spectrum of U.S. officials.

Congress must therefore require a comprehensive appraisal

of the range of Cuba's activities against the U.S. and its

interests and priorities before the White House can make any

decision on whether Cuba will remain on the terrorism list.

The review must cover no less than a 20-year period and

include a fresh appraisal of all available raw data used in

the Clinton-era Pentagon assessment spearheaded by Montes.

The review should include detailed intelligence and analysis

of unconventional threats and programs that have dual-use

application, such as Cuba's biotech capabilities.

The congressional national-security and judiciary

committees must be given full access to all files pertaining

to the WASP spy network, including data related to the 1996

Brothers to the Rescue shoot-down, as well as damage

assessments for all Americans and non-Americans convicted of

spying for the Cuban regime.

However, if President Obama chooses to proceed irrespective

of the aforementioned conditions and determines that Cuba

should be removed from the state-sponsors-of-terrorism list,

Congress would have only 45 days from the submission date to

evaluate the rescission proposal and act accordingly.

Members of the House and Senate must therefore be proactive

in countering the executive action outlined on December 17

and in preventing further damage. Failure to do so would make

Congress complicit in the administration's acquiescence to

Cuba's Communist regime; it would undermine American

interests and reinforce a message of weakness to other

enemies of freedom and security.

Mr. Speaker, it is truly astonishing that President Obama is asking Congress and the American people to applaud and reward the Castro regime for releasing 53 innocent people from its gulags today while ignoring the fact that over 1,000 were arrested last year.

These individuals were imprisoned for expressing their basic rights as human beings, and for seeking reforms on the island based on the universal and fundamental principle of freedom.

What a pathetically low bar President Obama has set. This administration has shown, time and again, that it is more willing to appease tyrants than to fulfill America's role as the defender of freedom, of democracy, and respect for human rights.

President Obama's concessions to the Castro regime further illustrate that he is willing to abandon American core principles of liberty and justice in order to placate a dangerous regime.

Mr. Speaker, I am so humbled and pleased to see my colleagues who have turned out tonight at this late hour in a bipartisan manner to say that we reject the President's ill-advised treatment of the policy of rapprochement with the Cuban regime, and no one is better able and better equipped to talk about freedom and democracy and our fight for justice than Mr. Chabot.

I yield to the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Chabot), a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and chairman of the House Small Business Committee.

I thank the gentleman from Ohio very much, and thank you for looking out for our U.S. national security, and thank you for trying to uphold the values of freedom throughout the world.

Mr. Chabot brought up the fact that Mr. Kerry, speaking before our committee, said that we would not release spies for Alan Gross' life. And that came because of a question posed by our next speaker, and I am pleased to yield to the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Sires), the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere.

Mr. Speaker, as you heard from Mr. Sires, he was born and reared in Cuba, but you don't have to be a Cuban American to understand the principles that are at stake here. One person who knows that is a wonderful congressman from our great State of Florida. So I am proud to yield to the gentleman from Florida, Gus Bilirakis.

Mr. Bilirakis, I thank you for your clear and consistent message that restrictions should not be lifted against the Castro regime until those conditions are met.

Our next speaker, Mr. Speaker, is the gentleman from Alabama, Congressman Bradley Byrne, who so understands that good trade is based on free and fair countries that cherish the principles upon which our great country was founded--freedom, democracy, respect for the rule of law--all of which are missing in today's Cuba. His great city of Mobile, Alabama, will greatly benefit once we have free trade and fair trade with a Democratic Cuba. I yield to the gentleman from Mobile, Alabama.

Thank you very much. I am so thankful to my good friend from Mobile, Alabama, for his words, because he understands that American principles are not for sale.

I would like to point out, Mr. Speaker, that every country with whom the Castro brothers do business is a country to whom they owe a lot of money. They have not paid all of their bills to any businesses, and they have not paid what they owe to any country, and it would be all the same for Mobile, Alabama. Thank you for standing up for U.S. values.

Now, I am so pleased to yield to my good friend from South Carolina, a gentleman who understands the threat to our hemisphere. Why? Because he is the chairman of the Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Duncan), my good friend.

Thank you so much, Mr. Duncan. We are so pleased that we have this dynamic duo of the chairman and the ranking member of Western Hemisphere. You are so right to point out, Mr. Duncan, that there is no freedom of the press in Cuba. That is one of the many freedoms that Cuban people are denied.

Now, I yield to my colleague from Florida, Congressman Ron DeSantis, who is a war veteran, but who understands that the war for freedom and democracy takes on many fronts, a member of our House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Thank you so much, Mr. DeSantis. You are so right when you categorized this unilateral bad deal as an economic lifeline to the Castro regime.

A person who understands that just as well as you do is our next speaker, the gentleman from Iowa, a senior member of the House Committee on Agriculture, Congressman Steve King. He can say: Hey, my State is going to benefit a lot by this deal.

The sad reality, as Mr. King and I know, is that Castro doesn't pay his debt. As we had just said with the other speaker, he owes everybody money. This deal will not strengthen U.S. national security. It will not be good for America's farmers, and it will not be good for the people of Cuba.

Congressman King.

Thank you so much, Mr. King. That is our fervent hope as well. And we work and we pray every day for that dream of a free Cuba to come alive. We thank you for your voice here tonight. Thank you, my good friend from Iowa.

Mr. Speaker, many people talk about the last generation of Cuban exiles and how this is really not the dream of young Cuban Americans who were born here in the United States, reared here in the United States. They come from Cuban families, but they really don't much care about freedom and democracy and the land of their ancestors.

This next speaker, Mr. Speaker, is a newly elected gentleman who understands that that search for a free and democratic Cuba is a yearning that lives very fervently in his heart, and that is the Congressman from West Virginia, Congressman Alex Mooney, who was born here, as American as apple pie, but comes from a proud lineage of Cuban American heritage.

Thank you, Mr. Mooney.

Thank you so much, Mr. Mooney. We are a better Congress for you being a part of it. Thank you so much for being proud of your American heritage and your Cuban American ancestry as well. So, welcome to Congress, sir.

Mr. Speaker, I am about to introduce another millennial, another one of this younger generation of Cuban Americans who the press continues to say don't represent the desires of this new generation.

Well, Carlos Curbelo is one of our newest elected officials. He was born here in the United States, doesn't know Cuba, and is less than 35 years old but understands that yearning for a free Cuba. We are so pleased as punch to have him here as a Member of our Congress.

I yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Curbelo).

Thank you so much, Mr. Curbelo. You are a fresh young voice, and I thank you and Mr. Mooney for being here tonight.

Mr. Speaker I am so pleased to yield to a gentleman who understands what freedom is all about. He was one of the speech writers for our great President, Ronald Reagan. He is a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. In fact, he is the chairman of the Europe Subcommittee, and he is here tonight with one of his triplets, Christian, who wants to be an author and an inventor.

I look at Christian, this new generation, and I think, what kind of life

would he have under the communist tyranny of Cuba, as opposed to the freedom and democracy that we enjoy here?

So with that, I am pleased as punch to yield to my good friend from California (Mr. Rohrabacher).

Thank you so much, Mr. Rohrabacher. And you so rightly point out that hours after President Obama announced, in a shocking way, that we would resume diplomatic relations with Cuba and the Castro regime does not have to change, Raul Castro put on his military uniform and spoke to the oppressed island nation and said, hey, don't worry. We are not changing a thing. It is still the same failed regime.

We got nothing from that deal.

Mr. Speaker, I am so pleased to yield to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Diaz-Balart), the chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development. I had the honor of serving with his older brother. I have the honor of serving with his youngest brother now, Mario. Born in the United States and, just like Carlos and Alex Mooney, Mr. Curbelo and Mr. Mooney, a gentleman who is 100 percent American and so proud of 100 percent of his Cuban ancestry.

Thank you, Mario.

Thank you so much, Mr. Diaz-Balart. You so eloquently stated that. We have so much to say, and we have run out of time.

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

Mr. Speaker, the administration's concessions to the tyrannical Cuban regime have only strengthened the iron grip of the dictatorship, and by President Obama attempting to normalize relations with the island, we are only putting more money into the coffers of these thugs to continue their repressive ways.

The White House and the State Department were once again fooled by a tyrant, and that has grave consequences for our credibility around the world.

Mr. Speaker, this is a bad deal. It is a bad deal for the people of Cuba, a bad deal for America, and a bad deal for freedom-loving people everywhere.

Today, I was joined by other Members of Congress in sending a letter to Secretary Kerry urging the administration to stop its concessions, abandon the talks scheduled with Cuba later this month, and get serious about bringing true reforms to Cuba first before even contemplating a change in our relations.

If they won't listen, it is up to us in Congress to defend freedom for Cuba and, indeed, around the world.

Mr. Speaker, the recent concessions by President Obama to the Castro regime mark a drastic departure from one of the most consistent tenets of United States foreign policy and traditional American values, and sets a dangerous precedent for other rogue regimes to emulate.

The pardoning of convicted Cuban spies follows an ill-advised exchange with the Taliban in which the rhetoric emerging from the White House to justify its actions has been unnervingly similar. As predicted, the course of policy by this administration on caving to terrorist demands makes the United States more vulnerable.

We see those repercussions manifest themselves across the globe. Just recently, Venezuela's thug Nicolas Maduro jumped at the opportunity to request an exchange of a convicted criminal in the United States for the freedom of pro-democracy leader Leopoldo Lopez, whom Maduro has jailed in Venezuela.

This is not the way to protect U.S. national security interests throughout the world; this is a way of putting them in jeopardy.

When we equate unjustly imprisoned Americans to battle-hardened terrorists or convicted spies, we set a dangerous precedent for the world to follow.

The Cuban regime has already signaled strongly that it will not unclench its fist, despite recent developments.

On December 30, just 13 days after President Obama's announcement, the Cuban regime arrested nearly 60 activists seeking to express themselves freely--this in addition to the arrest of more than 200 activists on Human Rights Day--ha, that is rich--just 7 days before the announcement normalizing relations.

Yet the administration proudly and openly touts the promised but yet unproven release of 53 dissidents as a major breakthrough when in reality the net result will mean hundreds more in Castro's gulags. Raul Castro will free 53 and arrest 60 more in the next months.

This shows the failure of the administration's argument and proves that there is no intention by the Castros to move in the direction of reform or freedom. Instead, President Obama has created an atmosphere that emboldens the regime to continue its violent tactics with no concern about consequences from this White House.

We must not forget that Cuba not only poses a threat to its people but also threatens us here at home. Cuba must remain a state sponsor of terrorism because it has not changed its terrorist ways.

For example, in the year 2013 Cuba was caught helping another dangerous regime, North Korea, evade U.N. Security Council resolutions of sanctions by shipping arms and munitions to the Kim Jong-un regime. At a time when many in Congress and even the White House are trying to punish the North Korean regime for its cyber attacks against the U.S., we cannot forget that those rogue regimes helped North Korea--like the one in Cuba.

The Castro regime continues to thumb its nose at the U.S. by harboring fugitives such as New Jersey State trooper killer Joanne Chesimard, by harboring Puerto Rican terrorist William Guillermo Morales and bank robber Victor Gerena and many others who have fled U.S. justice for the shores of Cuba.

These are just a few of the reasons, Mr. Speaker, why the administration must reexamine its relationship with Castro and impose strict sanctions against the thugs, not offer it concessions for all of these transgressions. Just like a zebra cannot change its stripes, the Castro regime cannot and will not change its anti-freedom, terrorist ways.

It is our duty to support democracy and be a voice for those 11 million Cubans oppressed throughout the island. By appeasing dictators, we have disappointed people all over the world who are struggling to achieve freedom, and the White House has betrayed core American values and principles: the respect for human rights and the right for people to choose their own destiny.

As the first Cuban American-born Member of Congress who went from being a political refugee, fleeing the oppressive and brutal Castro regime, to a senior Member of this hallowed and cherished body, I will fight tooth and nail to ensure that the cause for freedom and democracy in Cuba is not forgotten. Until the oppressive yoke of tyranny installed by the Castro brothers has been lifted and the regime has been replaced by a representative democracy like the one we have here in our cherished Nation, I have a moral obligation to freedom-loving people everywhere, and I will not ever forget that responsibility.

Mr. Speaker, due to President Obama's latest actions designed to seek closer ties to rogue regimes and terrorist groups across the world, these entities now have the blueprint on how to obtain concessions from the United States: hold innocent American citizens hostage and demand the release of convicted terrorists or spies in return.

The Castro regime has always and will always continue to perpetrate the most heinous of human rights violations in order to remain in control over the millions of Cubans yearning for freedom. What does that say about us as a Nation when we are willing to cave to the demands of these thugs and terrorists and abandon our ideals and our policies?

We must uphold the American values of freedom, democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law, and stand in solidarity with all people who crave these fundamental rights.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to strongly oppose the December 17 announcement by President Obama on policy changes toward the Cuban Communist regime. The Cuban regime from day one was planning on using Alan Gross as a pawn to receive concessions from the Obama administration, and their strategy worked.

In April 2013, when asked about a possible swap for Mr. Gross, Secretary Kerry testified before Congress that ``We have refused to do that because there is no equivalency. Alan Gross is wrongly imprisoned, and we are not going to trade as if it is a spy for a spy.'' That turned out to not be true.

President Obama unilaterally pardoned three convicted Cuban spies. These spies were responsible for the deaths of three American citizens and one U.S. resident, Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Mario de la Pena, and Pablo Morales, whose Brothers to the Rescue planes were unjustly shot down over international air space on direct orders of the Castro brothers.

To make matters worse, we learned that the U.S. Government used resources to facilitate the artificial insemination of one of the wives of the Cuban spies. Good grief. So the White House ignores the fact that these innocent U.S. pilots were not able to have their own families, but rewards one of the persons responsible for their deaths.

Not only did the dictatorship achieve the return of five convicted spies, it was also able to attain major concessions from our President in order to support Cuba's struggling economy.

Cuba's largest supporters, Russia and Venezuela, are struggling due to their own fiscal crises, so the Castro brothers needed a bailout from a new source; and, sadly, they found one with President Obama.

By increasing tourism travel on the island, the Obama administration will be injecting millions of dollars into the pockets of the Castro brothers. The Cuban police state runs the hotels.

Let's examine the President's announcement very closely. First, the President claims that these new policy changes will empower the Cuban people. Well, the pro-democracy advocates on the island have stated that the changes will help their oppressor, not the people of Cuba.

Second, the issue is not only impacting the people of Cuba, it also poses a greater threat to U.S. national security interests. Cuba is a designated state sponsor of terrorism and is an avowed enemy of the United States.

With these concessions by the administration, the Castro brothers will use some of their new economic stream to invest more funds into their espionage activities, activities that are aimed against our Nation. With the ability to garner more intelligence against the U.S., the Castro brothers are likely to hit the black market and sell this intelligence to the highest bidder. This is not a theory; it is a fact.

One example of this fact is the case of Ana Belen Montes. She was a convicted Cuban spy who worked for our U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, collecting information for Castro so that it can be sold to our enemies.

Third, the human rights situation on the island has not changed one bit. The President says that he got Raul Castro to agree to the release of 53 political prisoners, prisoners who should never have been in jail in the first place, yet the White House will not release the names of these 53 political prisoners. Why not? What do they have to hide? Plus what good is it for the Castro brothers to release these 53 when he doesn't stop capturing and detaining other prisoners, which he will?

What has been happening in Cuba lately in these past few weeks? Well, according to reports, more than 80 Cubans have been detained. The Cuban coast guard sank a boat recently in international waters that was carrying over 30 people, causing the deaths of some of them on board. Hezbollah celebrated President Obama's announcement after a meeting with the Cuban Ambassador to Lebanon.

Mr. Speaker, this misguided policy of the President will have serious implications for the United States and sends a signal to our enemies that we will cave and we will surrender at every

turn. We in the Congress must do everything we can to prevent this disastrous policy from going into effect.

This is a bad deal for U.S. national security and for the Cuban opposition, and it is a sweetheart deal for the repressive Cuban regime.

Mr. Speaker, President Obama's statement that he will reestablish diplomatic relations with the communist regime in Cuba takes away leverage that could have been used once that island nation one day begins to move towards democracy and freedom. But the Castro brothers have taken no such steps, nor will they. Raul Castro already stated that he will not change anything about his regime. That was Castro's official response to President Obama's unilateral concessions.

The U.S. has given away the store, and it has not helped the Cuban opposition at all.

Is there freedom of expression in Cuba now? No.

Are there political parties in Cuba? No, just one party, the Communist Party.

Is there freedom of assembly, freedom of the press, respect for human rights? No, no, and no.

Will President Obama's sellout help bring about such freedoms? No. Quite the opposite, Mr. Speaker. It will provide an economic lifeline to the decrepit regime.

The President has stated that he has asked for an official U.S. Embassy and a U.S. Ambassador to Cuba. This would lend legitimacy to a dictatorship that continues to pose a threat to U.S. national security.

Let's work to stop this reckless and unwarranted action. Let's stand with the Cuban opposition and not with the Castro regime.