Former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro died Friday.
His death was celebrated by many Cuban-Americans, many of whom had been separated from their families and faced tragedy as a result of his rule.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), a descendant from Cuban immigrants himself, spoke about the events that had transpired with anchorwoman Dana Bash on a Sunday segment of CNN's "State of the Union."
President Obama headed recent efforts to restore diplomatic relations between America and Cuba to open up the country for trade and diplomacy, symbolized by the reopening of the Cuban embassy. Rubio said that he trusted President-elect Donald Trump to "roll back" that progress.
Rubio, who ran for president in the Republican primary, was one of Trump's biggest critics during the election.
"The election is over, and now it comes time to govern. We're going to give him every chance to be successful," Rubio said Sunday.
Rubio expressed disappointed with the president, saying that Obama offering condolences to Castro's family was "pathetic."
In response to Bash pointing out that the pope also expressed condolences after Castro's death, Rubio a practicing Catholic, said there is a distinction between his religious duties and his political beliefs.
In a publicized statement, Rubio said "the future of Cuba ultimately remains in the hands of the Cuban people, and now more than ever Congress and the new administration must stand with them against their brutal rulers and support their struggle for freedom and basic human rights."
President Obama visited Cuba in March, making him the first United States president to have made such a trip in 88 years. In August, the first U.S. flight to Cuba in 55 years took off from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Obama has called on Congress to lift the Cuban embargo. Though critics of the president's attempts to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba are largely partisan, there were five notable Republican members of Congress in 2014 who shared a similar desire to lift U.S. sanctions on the country: Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
The congressmen verbalized their support for the opening up of the country on the basis of sovereignty, the free movement of people and free markets.
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