{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398478", "Crawford Sends Trump Team Cuba Letter", "2016-12-08", "2016", "2016-12", "Republican", "House", "AR", "Rick Crawford", "C001087", "crawford.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, D.C.\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Reps. Tom Emmer\u00a0(R-MN),\u00a0Kathy Castor\u00a0(D-FL),\u00a0Rick Crawford\u00a0(R-AR) and\u00a0Barbara Lee\u00a0(D-CA) led a letter, along with\u00a0more than\u00a0a dozen of their colleagues from the Cuba Working Group, to President-elect Trump calling for the continued normalization of trade relations with Cuba and to empower the Cuban people. The Cuba Working Group was established to promote increased trade, travel and investment in Cuba, to open new markets, create jobs in both countries, promote human rights and improve the security posture of the United States.\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cThe recent death of Fidel Castro represents a dawn of a new era in Cuban leadership and the United States must use this time to help chart a new course for Cuba\u2019s future,\u201d said\u00a0Emmer. \u201cI look forward to working with President-elect Trump to continue our efforts in Congress to empower the Cuban people, facilitate economic reforms, promote the expansion of civil and religious liberties, and strengthen our regional and national security abroad.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cCuban families and small business owners are eager to accelerate economic and human rights reforms and America must continue to support them,\u201d saidCastor. \u201cThe entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in Cuba and greater engagement will encourage Cuba to go farther and faster. Slamming the door shut at this point in time would be disastrous. Instead, we should meet the challenge of better diplomatic relations, economic opportunities for Cubans and Americans, expanded travel, and support for the dignity of the Cuban people.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve seen the positive changes already taking place in Cuba\u2019s economy and its people, change that Fidel\u2019s recent passing will hasten,\u201d said\u00a0Crawford. \u201cIf the United States wants to prevent nations like China from dominating Cuba\u2019s future, then we do need to consider ways to capitalize on those changes, for both national security and economic reasons. I strongly encourage the incoming administration to consider incrementally reforming our relationship with Cuba in a way that supports American businesses and aids the Cuban people.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u201cOver the past two years, we have made tremendous progress in ending our counterproductive Cold War policies toward Cuba,\u201d said\u00a0Lee. \u201cFor the first time in half a century, we have the opportunity to tap into new markets and productively address the disagreements between our two nations. I urge President-Elect Trump to build on these reforms and help chart a new course forward for the U.S. and Cuba.\u201d\r\n\u00a0\r\nThis letter was signed by\u00a0Ralph Abraham\u00a0(R-LA),\u00a0Justin Amash\u00a0(R-MI),\u00a0Donald Beyer\u00a0(D-VA),\u00a0Cheri Bustos\u00a0(D-IL),\u00a0Kathy Castor\u00a0(D-FL),\u00a0Rick Crawford\u00a0(R-AR),Rosa DeLauro\u00a0(D-CT),\u00a0Mike Doyle\u00a0(D-PA),\u00a0Tom Emmer\u00a0(R-MN),\u00a0Sam Farr\u00a0(D-CA),\u00a0Barbara Lee\u00a0(D-CA),\u00a0Betty McCollum\u00a0(D-MN),\u00a0James McGovern\u00a0(D-MA),Rick Nolan\u00a0(D-MN),\u00a0Ted Poe\u00a0(R-TX),\u00a0Mark Sanford\u00a0(R-SC),\u00a0and Nydia Velazquez\u00a0(D-NY).\u00a0Letter may be found here, and the text is below:\r\n\u00a0\r\nDear President-Elect Trump,\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Congratulations on your election victory.\u00a0 As you and the Transition Team begin developing policy priorities for the next Administration, members of the bipartisan Cuba Working Group (CWG) strongly urge you to support the restoration of U.S. engagement with Cuba.\u00a0\u00a0 The CWG was founded on the belief that increasing trade, travel and investment in Cuba will not only open new markets and create jobs in both countries, but also promote human rights and better hemispheric relations as well as improve the security posture of the United States.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Americans support the easing of commercial restrictions in Cuba because it will result in increased jobs, economic growth and productivity gains for the United States economy.\u00a0 In fact, the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) released a report earlier this year that found if U.S. restrictions on Cuba were lifted, U.S. exports of selected agricultural and manufactured goods could increase to a total of roughly $2.2 billion, up from a mere $180 million in 2015.\u00a0 Policies that improve commercial relations could potentially create thousands of jobs here in the United States and open valuable new markets for our exports. The restrictions the U.S. government imposes on American business activity in Cuba have not only stymied America\u2019s economic potential, they have provided the repressive Cuban regime with an excuse on which to place blame for their own economic woes. \u00a0Additionally, there is little credible evidence that sanctions have improved the human rights situation in Cuba, a top priority of the CWG.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The recent death of Fidel Castro represents a dawn of a new era in Cuban leadership and America must use this opportunity to help chart a new course for Cuba\u2019s future.\u00a0 We believe America\u2019s greatest ambassadors - the American people and the U.S. private sector \u2013 will always be the most effective conduit for the spread of American influence. Continued engagement by our citizens and businesses will help to empower the Cuban people, facilitate economic reforms, and promote the expansion of civil and religious liberties.\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Finally, improving our relationship with Cuba would also align the U.S. government with the will of the American people and improve our standing with our regional allies.\u00a0 Recent polling from the Pew Research Center show that 73 percent of voters supported renewed diplomatic relations and 72 percent support ending the embargo. In addition, a recent poll out of Florida International University showed that 63 percent of Cuban-Americans in Miami want to see the embargo lifted.\u00a0 Global support for the normalization of our relations also remains overwhelming, particularly among some of our most important economic and security partners in Latin America.\u00a0\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\r\n\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We urge you to support the continued expansion of U.S. engagement with Cuba and allow our private sector to help shape a post-Fidel Cuba. We look forward to the opportunity to\u00a0work with you on policies that empower the Cuban people and create greater opportunity for Americans.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We appreciate your consideration of our request.\u00a0\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["http://crawford.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=398478"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5812518540769815, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}