In an interview with The Daily Signal, Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz says that she has a “different” view than President Obama over how the U.S. should engage with Cuba.
“My view is different from President Obama’s,” the DNC Chairwoman says. “I believe a relationship with the United States should be earned … perhaps we should make sure that some of these human rights concessions are secured prior to moving forward.”
Last week, President Obama announced that both Cuba and the United States will reopen their embassies.
The White House believes that isolating Cuba has been a bad policy that hasn’t worked for decades and that it’s time to try something new.
Wasserman Schultz hopes the administration can make progress with Cuba.
“Anytime we’re at the negotiating table with any nation like Cuba that has as horrendous a human rights record as they do, it’s an opportunity to be able to assert our view that making sure that any nation in the world should have freedom of their elections, that people should have the right to elect a person of their choice, that they should be able to speak freely, even if it is against the actions of their government and not be subject to arrest, that they should be able to make sure they can move freely throughout their country.”
“So President Obama’s policy allows us to be able to press those priorities at the negotiating table,” Wasserman Schultz concluded.