Congressmembers Jayapal and Jackson Return from Five-Day Congressional Delegation to Cuba

A pair of Democratic lawmakers is calling on President Trump to immediately end his oil blockade of Cuba. Democratic Congressmembers Pramila Jayapal of Washington and Jonathan Jackson of Illinois concluded a five-day congressional delegation to the island nation, during which they met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez and members of parliament. Congressmembers Jayapal and Jackson said they witnessed premature babies in incubators at risk because their ventilators could not function without electricity, and reported that food production on the island has dropped to just 10% of the population’s needs. In January, President Trump signed an executive order threatening tariffs on any country supplying oil to Cuba, intensifying the six-decade-old U.S. embargo. But Trump made an exception for a Russian ship that reached the island last week carrying over 700,000 barrels of crude oil. It was the first petroleum shipment in three months to dock in Cuba. This is Congressmember Jayapal. Rep. Pramila Jayapal: “The moment is here for us to have a real negotiation between our two countries and to reverse failed U.S. policy of decades, a Cold War-era remnant that no longer serves the American people or the Cuban people.”