Carlos Curbelo

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I move that the House do now adjourn.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, the Maduro regime in Venezuela has moved to expel opposition leaders from the National Assembly, arrested the mayor of Caracas on charges of conspiracy to commit violent acts, and has detained opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez for treason. The government issued a policy allowing police to use deadly force to control protests, which has resulted in the death of a 14- year-old student on his way to school. Over the weekend, Maduro's cronies in the legislature gave him dictatorial powers to more harshly crack down on internal dissent. Venezuela is sadly teetering closer towards a Cuba-style dictatorship. I condemn these acts of repression which are a desperate attempt by Maduro and his henchmen to cling to power, despite policy failures that have led to shortages of food and medical supplies, long lines at shops, and soaring inflation. These sanctions announced last week are a long overdue first step to holding the Maduro regime accountable for its grotesque disregard for human rights. But more must be done to ensure that these thugs answer for their crimes. I stand in solidarity with the peaceful, democratic Venezuelan opposition there and in the U.S. that oppose thuggish rule. They have been instrumental in spreading information about Maduro's deplorable actions.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I rise today in support of the amendment offered by my distinguished colleagues, Mr. Costello and Ms. Bonamici. As a member of the Miami-Dade County Public School Board, I am all too familiar with all of the challenges that our families and students face as it relates to testing. Now, don't get me wrong. Testing is a critical part, an element of the accountability system. If we can't ask the question, ``Are our children learning?'' then we have already failed in delivering an education system that serves this great Nation and our families. However, excessive and redundant testing has undermined accountability systems and has made it harder for our young people to learn. That is why I commend my distinguished colleagues for working together in a bipartisan way to offer this solution that will help millions and millions of children, teachers, and families all over our country. I know that the children of Miami-Dade County Public Schools and Monroe County Public Schools will appreciate this amendment. I know that the teachers back home will appreciate this amendment, and I commend my colleagues for their courage to work together in favor of such a smart solution. I also want to take the opportunity to commend Chairman Kline and Chairman Rokita for all of their hard work on the underlying bill, which I support.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. I thank the chairman for being a strong advocate for our Nation's emerging entrepreneurs. I look forward to serving under your leadership on the Small Business Committee. Mr. Chairman, our local businesses employ our friends and neighbors, helping them pay their bills and provide a better life for themselves and their families. When we talk about helping our local businesses, it is not just about the entrepreneurs. It is also about helping the workers that depend on them for their paychecks. It is not just about strengthening Main Street; it is also about keeping our neighbors strong and prosperous. We should never forget the vital role that our local businesses play in our communities. The Small Business Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act upholds this commitment. Current law requires an analysis to determine if a new rule could have ``significant economic impact on a substantial number of small entities.'' Unfortunately, our government agencies have failed to comply with the law's spirit. Among its provisions, the underlying legislation targets loopholes agencies use to avoid Regulatory Flexibility Act requirements. It also requires agencies to include assessments on the cumulative impacts a new rule may have on small businesses.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. I thank the gentleman. Now is the time for us to focus on creating well-paying jobs for our communities. I urge my colleagues to vote for passage.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on roll call no. 59 I was unavoidably detained. Had I been present, I would have voted yes. Stated against:

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. 37, had I been present, I would have voted ``yea.''

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. I thank the gentlelady for yielding, and I thank her for her tireless advocacy and work on this very, very important cause. Mr. Speaker, during the 56 years of the Cuban tragedy, also known as the Cuban Revolution, there had always been two constants. First, the nature of the Castro regime, a dictatorship that brutally represses its own people, and that aggressively opposes U.S. national security interests throughout the globe. That has not changed. The second was that, to varying degrees, the occupant of the White House had always been on the side of the Cuban people and in opposition to their oppressors, who for decades have collaborated with America's most dangerous allies. Today, this is, regrettably, no longer the case. By trading an American hostage, cruelly held by Cuba's dictators for 5 years, for three criminals convicted of spying against our government, including one who was serving a lifetime sentence for conspiring to murder American citizens, the President sent a message to our enemies that the United States can be extorted. What was the Cuban government's reward for holding an American hostage for 5 years? Three convicted spies and full diplomatic relations, plus an economic bailout for a financially and morally bankrupt regime. The men who rule Cuba today are the same men who had nuclear missiles installed on the island and pointed them at the United States, as my colleague from Alabama stated earlier. When they were cash-rich, they ran a robust military and deployed troops throughout the world to fight alongside our most dangerous enemies. They have trained and supported terrorist groups such as Colombia's FARC. They ordered three American citizens and one resident blown out of the sky in the tragic shootdown of February 24, 1996. A few months ago, they were caught shipping arms illegally to North Korea, and they collaborated with the Venezuelan government in last year's brutal crackdown, which resulted in the death of over 40 students. Human rights atrocities by the dictatorship against its people continue. The Castro regime consistently resorts to violence because they know it is the only way they can maintain control since the Cuban people are desperate to be free. The President's decision to ease sanctions only serves to bolster the dictatorship and its apparatus of repression. There is virtually no private sector in Cuba. More than 85 percent of Cubans work for government controlled-enterprises and earn less than $20 a month. Foreign investment doesn't benefit the average Cuban. Cubans that work for corporations with foreign capital are only allowed to keep 8 percent of their salaries. Cuban workers are, in effect, slaves of the dictatorship. Now, it is important to note, Mr. Speaker, President Obama's administration approved sanctions in recent months against Venezuela and North Korea. Why, then, is it rewarding an enemy of the United States just 90 miles from our shores that actively collaborates with both of these regimes? Why does the President insist on an incoherent foreign policy that too often rewards our enemies and punishes our allies? As other American Presidents have shown us in the past, peace through weakness and appeasement is not an effective strategy for dealing with Cuba's military dictatorship. We also have to ask ourselves, what kind of neighborhood do we want to live in? The Americas, the Western Hemisphere, is the American neighborhood of the world. What kind of standards do we want for this part of the world? Do we want to endorse the chronic abuse of human rights, the imprisonment of people who disagree? That is the nature of the Cuban government, and we, the United States of America and, by the way, the other nations of this hemisphere, have agreed that we support a democratic form of government, and that we want this part of the world to be free without exception. There is one glaring exception, and it is Cuba. Our sanctions policy, some say, well, it hasn't worked. Of course the sanctions have worked. The sanctions have denied billions and billions and billions of dollars to a regime that would use those profits to oppose our interests throughout the world. What did the regime do when it had resources? It had troops all over the world. It exported revolution. And if you don't know what exporting revolution means, in the context of Cuba, it means aggressively opposing American interests throughout the world. Today, we remember in a very special way, Mario Manuel de la Pena, Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, and Pablo Morales. These were the men who were brutally assassinated by the Cuban regime on February 24 of 1996. One of the spies was convicted of conspiring to murder these young men, three of whom were American citizens, and the other was a resident of our country. These four men are dead, and the Cuban spies are free. But it isn't too late, Mr. Speaker. The President still has time to get back on the right side of this issue and on the right side of history by standing against Cuba's dictators, with the victims of their brutality, and for a strong American foreign policy that advances our national security interests. Again, I want to thank my distinguished colleague from south Florida for her leadership. We have admired her for so many years for her work on this issue.

Mr. CURBELO of Florida

Mr. CURBELO of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of the Save American Workers Act of 2015 and would like to thank the gentleman from Indiana for reintroducing this important legislation. I have only been a Member of Congress for 2 days now, but passing bills to help American workers and those who employ them, especially so early in the year, is exactly what our constituents sent us to Washington to accomplish. The purpose of this legislation is simple: to increase the threshold of classifying a full-time worker under the Affordable Care Act from 30 hours to 40 hours a week. Back in my south Florida district, I constantly hear from families who are frustrated by the burdens of the Affordable Care Act. The 30- hour workweek provision has limited the incomes of many Americans and their potential to grow in their jobs. Defining 40 hours as a full workweek will provide relief to many families who are unfairly getting caught in these growth-crushing regulations. Working Americans want to get ahead and work as many hours as possible to provide for their families. The 30-hour workweek is limiting their ability to do so. So, again, I want to reiterate my support for this bill. I look forward to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find common ground where we can make changes in the Affordable Care Act that will benefit our neighbors back home.