Florida Democratic Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz says that she thinks President Barack Obama needs to slow down with his move to normalize the United States' relationship with Cuba.
"My view is different from President Obama's," the Democratic National Committee chairwoman said in an interview with
The Daily Signal published Thursday.
"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," she said.
Obama recently announced that the United States will reopen its embassy in Havana, and Cuba will reopen its embassy in Washington. He has also asked Congress to
lift the trade embargo on 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," Wasserman Schultz told The Daily Signal.
"So President Obama's policy allows us to be able to press those priorities at the negotiating table," she added.
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