At a January 18, congressional hearing, U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar (Rep., FL), who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere Affairs, said that claims that a private sector exists on the island were likely “a new scheme from the regime which is desperate for millions of dollars to violate the American market.” Later at that hearing, she voiced some scepticism about such a claim.[1]
The next day, Cuba’s vice minister for the economy, Johana Odriozola, disputed that contention. She said, “Nobody in their right mind can talk about something that really exists being a myth. We are not talking about something small; we are talking about more than 10,000 micro, small, and medium-sized companies.”
In addition, Johana Tablada, currently number two at Cuba’s foreign ministry’s department handling U.S. affairs, also questioned the premise of the congressional hearing in a lengthy tirade against U.S. policies toward the island and personal attacks against Salazar. . . . Tablada said the Cuban government would not allow the U.S. government to use the private sector to meddle in Cuba’s internal affairs but said the government is “serious when it says it supports this sector’s development.”
Although the Cuban government has imposed various restrictions on these enterprises, [2]“the private sector, which also comprises self-employed workers and some cooperatives, now employs 35% of all Cuban workers — more than those employed in state-owned companies.”
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[1] Torres, Cuba pushes back against claims in Congress that its private sector is a myth,’ Miami Herald (Jan. 25, 2024); U.S. House Hearing on Cuban Private Enterprise, dwkcommentaries.com (Jan. 20, 2024).
[2] Torres, Resisting reforms, Cuba announces price hikes and new restrictions on the private sector, Miami Herald (Jan. 10, 2024); Torres, As the economy craters, the Cuban government hits private-sector workers with tax hike, Miami Herald (Jan. 18, 2024)