A leftist Democrat sparked fierce backlash after he appeared to insist that Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s views on Cuba carried less weight because he has not visited the island.Rep.Mark Pocan, D-Wis., made the striking claim during a heated exchange with U.S.
Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz on Wednesday at a committee hearing.Pocan, who has compared Cuba to a "silent Gaza," visited the communist island earlier in July, where he called for the U.S.to relent on its pressure campaign against the Cuban government, blaming U.S.
sanctions for the island's economic devastation and fuel shortages.During his questioning of Waltz, he did not address the Cuban government's likely hoarding of resources as it maintains a firm grip over the economy or its continued access to luxuries amid economic turmoil.United States Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz testifies during a House Foreign Affairs hearing titled "United Nations Accountability and Reform" in the Rayburn House Office Building on Wednesday, July 22, 2026.(CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)TRUMP EXPANDS CUBA SANCTIONS BEYOND US COMPANIES IN MAJOR CRACKDOWN ON FOREIGN ENABLERS"During your visit, did you visit the private island from the Castro regime?" Waltz asked Pocan.
"Did you visit their private jet which seems to have fuel to get back and forth?"Pocan dodged the question and fired back, "Considering you've never been to Cuba, I'm not going to take your advice on where to go.""Marco Rubio has never been to Cuba, so many others who have strong opinions," the Wisconsin lawmaker added later."His entire family is from Cuba and fled the regime," Waltz replied."They left before the revolution," Pocan responded."That is decades ago.
That’s a ridiculous answer.It’s worth going there if you’re going to have such strong opinions and I think you’d maybe look at it a little differently," Pocan continued."The exchange drew swift criticism on social media, with several conservative commen...