Democratic lawmakers visit Havana, meet with Cuban president
This week, Representative Jim McGovern (MA-02), Rep. Mark Pocan (WI-02), and Rep. Troy Carter (LA-02) traveled to Cuba on a congressional delegation in which they met with Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Cuba’s Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, the U.S. Embassy in Havana, and members of Cuba’s congress, AP Newsreports.
While the details of the exchanges have not been disclosed, a tweet from President Díaz-Canel recounted their meeting, stating, “We addressed our differences and topics of shared interest. We affirmed our willingness to improve bilateral relations.”
The delegation met with Cuba’s National Assembly and, according to a statement from the Assembly, discussed strengthening dialogue, inter-parliamentary relations, and mutual respect for each other’s sovereignty. In a speech during the meeting with the National Assembly, Chair of the U.S. House Rules Committee, Rep. McGovern, shared some of his goals for the future of U.S.-Cuba relations, including the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) List and the lifting of the U.S. embargo on Cuba. Rep. McGovern also called for increased collaboration on issues of mutual interest and the normalization of relations, stating, “We want to work together with you to tear down the walls, to have a more mature and constructive relationship, for the benefit of the peoples of Cuba and the United States.” The delegation concluded on Monday.
Rep. McGovern has traveled to Cuba on multiple occasions and been a long-time advocate for engagement with Cuba. Most recently, alongside Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations Barbara Lee (CA-13) and Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Gregory Meeks (NY-5), Rep. McGovern commended the Administration’s decision to provide humanitarian aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, and urged the Administration to provide humanitarian support to Cuba on many accounts, including in response to the devastating fires in Matanzas, Cuba. Over the past two years, Rep. McGovern and his colleagues have also written letters urging President Biden to restore and repair U.S.-Cuba relations upon entering office, to lift restrictions on U.S. financing of agricultural sales to Cuba, to lift sanctions on trade and travel and to prioritize thehumanitarian needs of the Cuban people amidst and economic and humanitarian crisis, and expressing concern over the omission of Cuba and other countries from the 9th Summit of the Americas. In 2019, he introduced the Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2019, a bipartisan bill to lift restrictions on travel to Cuba for U.S. citizens.
The delegation came three weeks after Representatives Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Jim Baird (IN-04), and Rep. Jahana Hayes (CT-05) led a bipartisan House Agriculture Committee delegation to Cuba to better understand farming in Cuba, Cuba’s food supply, and the impact of U.S. commodities. The Members of the House Agriculture Committee met with Cuban farmers, agricultural experts and business operators, and local officials to discuss agriculture and related issues. Moreover, the meetings occurred one month after high-ranking Biden-Harris administration officials met with their Cuban counterparts in Cuba to discuss migration and the resumption of consular services at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, and two weeks ahead of the scheduled full resumption of consular services, set to resume on January 4, 2023.
