Rubio, appearing on ABC's This Week, lashed out at Paul, who has expressed support for opening trade with the island nation after a decades-long embargo.
When NPR's Scott Simon has visited Cuba, he saw two economies — one for tourists and one for residents. He reflects on whether the thaw between the U.S. and Cuba can really transform that country.
The remarks come a day after President Obama announced the U.S. and Cuba would begin talks to normalize relations and open embassies following more than five decades of hostility.
The State Department says a delegation of diplomats will visit the island next month. The formal restoration of diplomatic ties is expected to be as easy as the two countries writing each other notes.
President Obama says the U.S. and Cuba will normalize relations, which were severed in 1961. Here are images that highlight the decades of tense relations.
President Obama eased restrictions on Cuba this week, including a relaxation of rules barring U.S. banks from doing business there. But banks are awaiting details and are likely to proceed cautiously.
American Alan Gross had spent more than five years in a Cuban prison, where he suffered ill health. Then, on Tuesday, his lawyer, Scott Gilbert, told him in a phone call that he was going home.