ms. ros lehtinen and i and others for a nobel peace prize committee. and along with another medical doctor who's been tortured as well. he testified here as you know by way of a phone hookup and told us do not -- do not end the embargo. get the conditions first. get human rights and durable human rights at that before that embargo is lifted. and he said it even though there is great risk to himself in articulating. he pointed out as many others have pointed out that europeans have been trading with cuba for decades. with no amelioration. then we'll hear from ms. fonseca who grew up in a household that opposed the communist system based oen the principles and religious belief. due to her family's faith she was denied the opportunity to complete our studies. she became a member of the pro human rights party. and joined the parks movement in havana. that same year she also participated with the ladies in white as the lady of support. she and her family have experienced numerous state organized mob attacks. as a result she's sought refugee status in the un

ms. ros-lehtinen. but, you know, to talk about it and understand and acknowledge what your families went through, i understand. i do, though, support what has happened in changing our relation with the island and one of the things that i've always felt is that as an american i want to be able to travel anywhere in the world. and i did recently go to cuba specifically looking at the drugs that the cubans invented for diabetes. i want to talk about that in a minute. i have a couple of questions. i know that this april there's the summit of the americas and i wanted to know what the reaction has been from the international community about cuba's participation and other world leaders regarding this policy change. >> congressman -- congresswoman, we have really seen universally from the hemisphere and those participating in the summit that they strongly support the policy, that they think it changes the whole dynamic in the united states on the other objectives we have high priorities for us. president sant

ms. ros-lehtinen: to address the house for one minute, revise and extend my remarks. the speaker pro tempore: without objection, the gentlewoman is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: mr. speaker, today we commemorate the murder by the cuban regime of three u.s. citizens and one u.s. resident, carlos costa, armando alejandro and pablo morales. 19 years ago today, the castro brothers ordered the shootdown of the civilian brothers to the rescue planes and blew them out of the sky over international air space during an unarmed humanitarian mission. these volunteers were devoted to search the florida straits to aid those who risked their lives on rafts to flee the oppressive yoke of the castro regime that continues to rule over the island. it's shameful that this same regime that is responsible for killing these innocent heroes is now sitting across the table from u.s. government officials and will be hosted by their own department of state later this week. not a proud week for strong american values, mr. speaker. i yield back. the speaker pro tempore: job. -- the

ms. ros lehtinen and i and others for a nobel peace prize committee. and along with another medical doctor who's been tortured as well. he testified here as you know by way of a phone hookup and told us do not -- do not end the embargo embargo. get the conditions first. get human rights and durable human rights at that before that embargo is lifted. and he said it even though there is great risk to himself in articulating. he pointed out as many others have pointed out that europeans have been trading with cuba for decades. with no a --. then we'll hear from ms. fonseca who grew up in a household that opposed the administration based oen the principles and religious belief. due to her family's faith she was denied the opportunity to complete our studies. 2004 became that member of the pro human rights party. and joined the parks movement in havana. that same year she also participated with the ladies in white as the lady of support. she and her family have experienced numerous state organized monoattack edd mob attacks. as a result she's sought refugee

ms. ros-lehtinen.but you know to talk about and understand and acknowledge what your families went through i understand. i do though support changing our relations with the island and one of the things that i have always felt is as american i want to be able to travel anywhere in the world and i did recently go to cuba specifically looking at a drug that the cubans have invented for diabetes. i want to talk about that in a minute. i have a couple of questions. i know this april there is a summit of the americas and wanted to know what the reaction has been from the international community about cuba's participation and other world leaders regarding this policy change. >> congresswoman we have really seen universally from the hemisphere and those participating in the summit that they strongly support the policy that they think it changes the whole dynamic in the hemisphere from the united states on other objectives that we have high priorities for us. the president of columbia called it historic and it

ms. ros-lehtinen: request unanimous consent to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend. the speaker pro tempore: without objection gentlelady the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: thank you, mr. speaker. today i rise to remind everybody that february is heart month. according to the american heart association, heart disease is the most common form of mortality among both men and women. in fact, one out of every four deaths in this country is cardiac related, and yet many of these deaths are preventable. small changes in diet and exercise can have an enormous and positive impact on your heart health and life span and we must not forget america's amazing medical researchers and practitioners who are doing their part by pioneering innovative treatments that save lives every day. so please remember to love your heart this valentine's day and every day. thank you, mr. speaker. the speaker pro tempore: for what purpose does the gentleman from washington seek recognition? >> to address the house for one minute and to revise and extend my remarks. the sp

ms. ros lehtinen and she has been such a leader for so long in raising the truth of what is going on in this gu log island. i have much more to say but i'll put the rest of it into the record. i want to thank our witnesses again. i look forward to hearing thinker testimony. -- >> mr. chairman [inaudible]. >> mr. chairman i just want to take a brief moment before we turn to the brief topic of the human rights in cuba to respond a topic in last committee meeting. you made comments and enfwajd in line of questioning some understood as suggesting that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans gender people do not have the basic human rights. after exchange exchanging letters with you that i think it's important to note that while we have very different preponderances on the marriage equality you oppose i, i support it. we both agree lgbt people have the same rights as all others to live free of the violence and persecution. you said quote unequivocablely oppose acts of violence against anyone and believe human rights apply to all. and all individuals including lgbt persons should be treated with respect

ms. ros-lehtinen: permission to address the house for one minute . the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady is recognized for one minute. ms. ros-lehtinen: this week is national eating disorders week. this time it's time to educate parents and children about the causes and serious health conditions and consequences of eating disorders. eating disorders affects more than 15 million americans and have disproportionate impacts on teens and young adults. beyond genetic links factors such as consistent exposure to misleading advertising that distorts one own's body image can go to eating disorders. we need to spread awareness and promote healthy body images. along with a bipartisan coalition, we have urged the federal trade commission to uphold their duty to protect the american consumer by working with health professionals and the advertising industry to promote fair and responsible advertisements, especially for products geared towards children and teens. if you suspect your child has an eating disorder, please seek professional help. there are many resou

ms. ros-lehtinen.but you know to talk about and understand and acknowledge what your families went through, i understand. i do though support changing our relations with the island and one of the things that i have always felt is that as an american i want to be able to , travel anywhere in the world and i did recently go to cuba specifically looking at a drug that the cubans have invented for diabetes. i want to talk about that in a minute. i have a couple of questions. i know this april there is a summit of the americas and wanted to know what the reaction has been from the international community about cuba's participation and other world leaders rerding this policy change. >> congresswoman, we have really seen universally from the hemisphere and those participating in the summit that they strongly support the policy that they think it changes the whole dynamic in the hemisphere for the united states on other objectives that we have high priorities for us. the president of columbia called it histori

ms. ros-lehtinen. >> thank you. we all are deeply saddened by kay la's apalling murder by isil terrorists. she made it her mission to care about humanity in a region that seems to no longer value human life and our prayers go out to her family. the brutality of isil truly knows no bounds and this cancer continues to metastasize throughout the region. the president has finally given us a draft umf that may actually limit our engagement in the region. so i look forward to a row bust debate here in our committee on it. but i firmly believe that no matter what happens with the aumf solving the problem of isil cannot happen without simultaneously solving the problems of assad, and iran and the partnership continues syria will be a terrorist breeding ground and we will never be victorious that way. a big part of the administration's isil strategy is to train and equip a program that seeks to enhance the capability of moderate syrian opposition leaders yet mr. chairman that program hasn't really started yet. the administra

as ileana ros-lehtinen mentioned there so much showcasing going on but the ability to discern the real facts when others bear witness that is not the case is very large. ms. fonseca. [speaking spanish] >> translator: yes i have something to say. i remember in 1990 i don't have a precise i don't have a precise number. [speaking spanish] >> translator: my youngest son was born prematurely. [speaking spanish] >> translator: when he was born i saw several children however i know the hospital never reported those death nationally or internationally. [speaking spanish] >> translator: i didn't like to listen to fidel castro speeches but sometimes i have to. [speaking spanish] >> translator: fidel castor is the enemy and fidel castro is the enemy of cuba. [speaking spanish] >> translator: i listened to the dictator's speech that year. [speaking spanish] >> translator: and he said i don't know if the specifics were pretty referred to the child mortality rate in cuba being very low. [speaking spanish] >> translator: but having my son i had been into hospitals and i can assure you many more children have died. but also -- [speaking spanish] >> translator: i never r