No End to Cuba Sanctions Without Regime Change

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has acknowledged what U.S. policy toward Cuba has required for decades: the embargo will not be lifted without regime change.

Speaking during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on U.S. policy toward Venezuela, Rubio went further than past administrations, stating plainly that the United States would “love to see” a change of government in Cuba and that such an outcome would benefit U.S. interests.

Pressed by Senator Brian Schatz, Rubio clarified that this is not just rhetorical preference. The U.S. embargo, he said, is codified in law under the Helms-Burton Act and explicitly conditions its removal on political change in Havana.

The exchange strips away years of ambiguity surrounding U.S.-Cuba policy. It confirms that sanctions are not tied to specific reforms or negotiations, but to a long-standing strategy of pressure and coercion aimed at reshaping Cuba’s political system.

TRANSCRIPT

Your comments that Havana should be concerned about the Maduro operation is fueling speculation that this administration will turn its sights to Cuba next. Will you make a public commitment today to rule out U.S. regime change in Cuba?, said Senator Brian Schatz.

Regime change?, answered Marco Rubio (Secretary of State)

Yes, said Schatz.

Oh, no. I think we would like to see that regime change. We would like to. That doesn't mean that we're going to make a change, but we would love to see it change. There's no doubt about the fact that it would be of great benefit to the United States if Cuba was no longer governed by an autocratic regime, explained Rubio.

But you know what we mean by regime change. We don't mean. I wish someone else were in charge. When we talk about regime change, we're talking about using the power of the United States. Usually kinetic power, but often other kinds of coercion. And I'm not even saying that that's always not in our interests. I'm just saying I'm not asking you whether we would prefer a different kind of government, stated the senator.

I'm asking whether you're trying to precipitate the fall of the current regime, Senator added.

Yeah, but that's statutory. The Helms‑Burton Act, the U.S. embargo on Cuba, is codified. It was codified in law, and it requires regime change in order for us to lift the embargo, Rubio pointed out.