releases: https://www.welch.senate.gov/statement-on-cuba/
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.welch.senate.gov/statement-on-cuba/ | Statement on Cuba | 2026-09-23 | 2026 | 2026-09 | Democrat | Senate | VT | Peter Welch | W000800 | www.welch.senate.gov | welch | https://www.welch.senate.gov/category/press-releases/ | scraper | Statement of Senator Peter Welch On Cuba September 23, 2026 Mr. President, in the midst of all the chaos and cruelty inflicted by the White House on the American people and around the world, I suspect not many Americans are aware that we are also carrying out an illegal blockade against Cuba, a country the size of Tennessee that poses no threat to the United States, but whose government we have tried to depose by one means or another for more than 60 years. There is plenty to not like about the Cuban government, which has defended a failed economic model and repressive political system for decades. The Cuban people deserve freedom and opportunity. But that does not justify the United States imposing a naval and financial blockade against an impoverished country that has neither attacked us nor threatened to attack us. The consequences for the Cuban people have been devastating. Today, they are suffering from daily electrical blackouts that have made everyday life a virtual nightmare. Schools, hospitals, public transportation, food production, trash collection, and many other life necessities have been brought to a practical standstill. Ironically, even our own Embassy has been impacted to the point that they are unable, or unwilling, to provide the necessary support for Members of Congress who have a legitimate interest in observing first-hand the consequences of the policy of collective punishment against the Cuban people being carried out by our government. According to an article in the New York Times on September 17, 2026: “Thousands of containers filled with food, medicine and other goods bound for Cuba have been stranded throughout the Caribbean since two shipping giants stopped deliveries to avoid tough U.S. sanctions, according to diplomats, Cuban officials, merchants and others involved in the imports. “The containers stranded in various ports include humanitarian aid, from solar panels to medication to colostomy bags. Dozens of containers of aid purchased by different United Nations agencies are among them. U.S. sanctions have also hobbled shipments by air, and forced the World Health Organization to scrap planned deliveries of cancer drugs.” Secretary of State Rubio claims that “if Cuba is a humanitarian disaster, it is because their regime is a disaster, because the economic model they follow doesn’t work.” That heartless statement ignores the fact that no such humanitarian crisis existed before the Trump Administration launched what amounts to a unilateral policy of economic warfare against Cuba. Mr. President, this is unconscionable, it’s immoral, and it’s a clear violation of international law. If any country were to engage in such aggression against the United States, we would condemn it as an act of war. During the past year, Cuba’s authorities have announced wide-ranging and long overdue economic reforms. While they are aspirational goals, they represent the kind of transformational reforms the United States has been calling for as long as I can remember. But has it made any difference to the Trump Administration? To the contrary. The Administration has only increased sanctions on Cuba, making it even harder to implement structural changes to the economy. It is apparent that nothing will satisfy the White House short of regime change—or regime collapse, with the consequent risk of social upheaval and mass migration. President Trump confirmed as much in his speech at the UN General Assembly earlier today, when he said that Cuba “will fall.” Earlier this year I spelled out steps that I and many others believe both governments can and should take to address the legitimate concerns of the other. Among other things, on the U.S. side those steps include ending the failed economic embargo and removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, which has no factual or legal basis. On the Cuban side, it includes economic reforms to increase foreign investment and unshackle the private sector, and releasing prisoners whose only offense is criticizing Cuba’s repressive one-party system. Back then, neither government showed interest in taking the initiative, and conditions for the Cuban people, and for Americans whose own government has prevented them from freely traveling to Cuba, have only gotten worse. But the Cuban government has finally recognized that its antiquated centralized economic system needs to change, and they are trying to move in that direction. They have also released some political prisoners, including celebrated artist Luis Manuel Otero Alcántara, although he was forced into exile in the U.S. Others, including Maykel “Osorbo” Castillo Pérez, must be released. The Trump Administration, which routinely insists that its policy is to support the Cuban people, should match its rhetoric with action. It should support economic reforms that have the potential to significantly improve life on the island. Ending the illegal blockade would be an obvious and necessary step. No legitimate U.S. interest is served by compounding the misery of the Cuban people by preventing other countries and companies from sending life-saving fuel and supplies to Cuba. # # # | 1 | 2026-09-24T10:30:22Z | 2026-09-24T10:31:42Z |