{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["http://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-issues-statement-on-us-normalization-of-relations-with-cuba", "Norton Issues Statement on U.S. Normalization of Relations with Cuba", "2014-12-18", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "DC", "Eleanor Norton", "N000147", "norton.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 The Office of Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) today released Norton\u2019s statement on the Obama Administration\u2019s efforts to normalize diplomatic relations between the United States and Cuba.\n\u201cPresident Obama\u2019s opening of official relations with Cuba may not be Nixon going to China, but it is today\u2019s version of what we needed to do to begin to bring U.S.-Cuba relations into the realities of the 21st\u00a0century.\u201d\n\u201cIn this case, the exchanges involved were significant, particularly with the release of Alan Gross, a U.S. international development worker who was held for five years for bringing telecommunications equipment to members of Cuba\u2019s Jewish community.\u00a0 Ironically, his release is leading to this very result for the Cuban people.\u00a0 The agreement to permit communications devices and telecommunications service into Cuba could be the most important development for bringing more democracy to Cubans.\u00a0 Isolating Cuba has only reinforced the Castro brothers\u2019 monopoly on the ability of the Cuban people to compare themselves with people in other countries.\u00a0 Once exposed to real freedom on the internet, it will be difficult for Castro\u2019s old Cuba to remain intact.\n\u201cCuba may be allowing this opening now because its economy has all but collapsed and it no longer has reliable allies to prop it up.\u00a0 The Administration\u2019s action does not lift the embargo.\u00a0 However, if Republicans listen to the positive reaction from the United States Chamber of Commerce and American businesses, they will follow suit and lift the embargo.\u201d", 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://norton.house.gov//media-center/press-releases/norton-issues-statement-on-us-normalization-of-relations-with-cuba"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.8367369882762432, "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"}