CBS "Face the Nation" - Transcript: Cuba Trade

Interview

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SCHIEFFER: And we're back now with Maryland's Democratic Congressman Chris Van Hollen. He was on that plane that went to Cuba last week to return American Alan Gross.

Well, you heard Lindsey Graham. You heard Marco Rubio. I guess I don't even have to ask you a question. Just ask, what is your response to what they said here?

REP. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN (D), MARYLAND: Well, Bob, we heard a lot of rhetorical chest-thumping in a very short period of time, but I don't think it actually advances the goals of American foreign policy, whereas what the president did with respect to Cuba does advance our goals.

We know that the policy of the last 54 years has been a total failure, on its own merits, on own standards, that the idea was that we were going to pressure Cuba in a way that would move the Castro brothers out of power, increase more democracy. In fact, the opposite has happened.

We have isolated the Cuban people, but we have actually reinforced and helped sustain the power of the Castro brothers. So, more engagement directly with the Cuban people, more travel, more trade, more ideas back and forth, that will over time, I think, help loosen things up from the bottom up. This isn't going to happen tomorrow.

And we're not expecting a transformation in the views of the Castro brothers, but more engagement will work better than the policy of the last 54 year .

SCHIEFFER: Well, we heard Fidel Castro's brother. He's already said, well, thanks a lot, America, but we're not changing.

VAN HOLLEN: But the theory behind this was not that the Castro brothers were going to suddenly change their views. That was the theory behind the failed policy of the last 54 years, that by putting pressure on the island, that somehow the Castro brothers would say, hey, we're going to have free elections.

That failed. We have a very different concept here. The idea is more direct communication with the Cuban people will over time create more personal freedom and then over time create conditions for more political freedom. It isn't going to happen overnight.

SCHIEFFER: Well, I think that may be the understatement of the year, if what people in the bureaucracy in the State Department and other places around town have been saying, because, while you can say you're going to do this, and say we now have relations, there are a lot of things that Republicans or those who oppose this can do to block this.

This is going to take some doing. And Congress will be called on to vote on a lot of it. How do you get this done?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, first of all, the measures the president announced the other day can take place immediately.

In other words, he can resume diplomatic relations. We can set up an embassy. We can, of course, increase travel, remittances, more trade in the area of telecommunications, which will help open up Cuban to more communication with the outside world. Those are things the president can do right away.

Now, to confirm an ambassador of course needs Senate ratification, so there could be a debate about that. And, clearly, to lift the embargo would require congressional action. And no one believes that is going to happen in the next couple of weeks or maybe even the next year.

But I do believe that greater engagement with the Cuban people and through the private sector in the Cuban economy, which right now is very small, but we can begin to open it up. That's the way you at least get the conditions for more personal freedom over time. Look, we know the last 54 years didn't work.

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SCHIEFFER: Yes, but if you don't change that embargo, it's not going to -- not much is going to happen here, is there?

VAN HOLLEN: Well, I think a fair amount can happen immediately in terms of more travel, because now people can travel under a general license, more trade, especially in the area of telecommunications.

The banking system -- the banking connections will change, so that will facilitate greater interaction. But, of course, lifting the embargo remains, I think, the long-term goal. That does require congressional action.

SCHIEFFER: All right.

Well, Senator -- I mean, Congressman, we thank you very much.

VAN HOLLEN: Well, thank you.

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