U.S. Rep. Raúl Grijalva traveled to Cuba last week with a handful of other members of Congress.
He said on his Facebook it was an opportunity to see first-hand the many opportunities Cuba and the U.S. have to benefit each other. “We are the only nation in our hemisphere that doesn’t deal with Cuba, and that has to change if we want to develop a mutually prosperous relationship with this neighbor just 90 miles off our coastline,” he said in a statement. “President Obama has taken significant actions to normalize relations with Cuba. Now Congress must act to fully end the decades-old trade and travel embargo.”
The U.S. removed Cuba from the list of countries that sponsor terrorism last week, as well.
A news release from Grijalva’s office says the congressional delegation met with officials from Cuba’s ministry of agriculture, and discussed business opportunities with the country and Arizona.
“As Cuba opens its markets, it’s vital that Arizona’s agricultural, technological and business leaders engage in the new opportunities that develop,” Grijalva says. “Cuba needs farming equipment and agricultural goods—with Yuma providing 90 percent of our nation’s lettuce and leafy vegetables harvest in winter, our community is uniquely positioned to benefit from trade with Cuba.”
They visited and chatted with executives of Etecsa, a telecommunications company, to explore Cuba’s technological challenges and upcoming goals, the press release says.
“Only 20 percent of Cubans have access to the internet right now,” Grijalva says. “They want to extend the promise of open internet to 60 percent of their population by 2020, but that will require access to computers and electronics that they don’t currently have. Once again, Arizonans have an opportunity here, with computers and electronics being our largest merchandise export category, accounting for $5 billion of our state’s merchandise exports in 2014.”
In December 2014, President Obama and Cuban President Raúl Castro, Fidel’s brother, announced they were in talks to normalize the relationship between the two nations.
The economic embargo began in 1961, following an unsuccessful American invasion of Cuba via the Bay of Pigs.
This article appears in May 28 – Jun 3, 2015.
What can I do to extend your stay Raul ? Cuba is the only country that installed Nuclear weapons, controls press, sent troops to the Congo to destabilize Africa, dealt in blood diamonds, Interrogated American GI’s in Vietnam, arms brokered with all the guerrilla organizations through central and south America. killing millions, ran and brokered drug markets to the US, opened prison sentviolent people on the streets of American How many American were killed from criminal of the Muriel boat Lift all under one man also named Raul. The US has changed leadership it is time for Cuba to do the same
Not one cent of help till a free election and reparations to the US.
Too bad he will come back to Arizona; he fits so well among his commie buddies.
He looks like the guest of honor at a soup kitchen. And he represents Az. ?
What a douche bag. Nice wasting my tax dollars.
Hope you had a nice R&R Raul, on the taxpayers, of course. You should have ran for office there.
Would you folks like some cheese with your whine?
Here we go with all the screeching to the heavens about taxpayer-funded trips by politicians. Wanna bitch about Grijalva going to Cuba? Fine, whine away, but don’t leave out of your blubbering Richard Shelby’s trip to France to meet with arms dealers and James Inhofe’s frequent “faith-based” trips to Africa, among the many, many other questionable trips congresspeople have taken. Do any of these trips actually foment new trade or lay the groundwork for new trade or improved relations? Are any of these people doing any of us any good by going on these junkets? We’ll have to see. But to single one guy out for one trip to Cuba is absurd.
Et tu, Raul…
The only thing execrable USAmericans think about when it comes to “normalizing” relations with Cuba is to suck them into the same sewer of rampant commercialism, uneven “trade”, worker exploitation, endless wars, junk food and prescription drug use that has destroyed this country…
Way to go!
I’m glad the Congressman went to Cuba. Instead of bluster and ineffective chest pounding, how about a real debate centered on how best to bring Cuba around. 50 years of failed policy should not be ignored, we gave isolation a good try and we can be proud of trying. But, with no other countries supporting the embargo it really didn’t work very well, let’s just be honest. And, it most probably helped Castro keep a firm thumb on Cuba’s back – every dictator needs someone to blame, right? Sometimes foreign policy actions have unforeseen and unpredictable consequences, sometimes they outright backfire. No one feels that Cuba a threat to the U.S., so why stick with something we know is not working? Let’s try something new. If you disagree and think we should stay the course, you are entitled to your opinion, but let’s give this important issue and the Congressman the respect they deserve.