Federal Legislation to End the US Blocakde Against Cuba
US Senate To Vote Anew On U.S.-Cuba Trade Sanctions
Oct 19, 1999 Eastern
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate leaders plan a vote next week on exempting
food and medicine from unilateral U.S. trade embargoes, including the four-decade-old
U.S. cold shoulder to Cuba, farm-state lawmakers said Tuesday.
The date for the vote was yet to be set. It would be the second vote
In three months on fundamental change in U.S. trade policy. Advocates
like chief Senate sponsor John Ashcroft, Missouri Republican,
say embargoes shut U.S. businesses out of lucrative markets but do
not alter the behavior of the target nations. Economic engagement
would be more effective, they say.
Representatives Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida
Republicans, said sanctions against Cuba must remain in place until
longtime leader Fidel Castro agreed to bring democracy to the island
100 miles from the Florida shore -- the closest Communist-run nation
to the U.S. mainland.
Companion bills to create the food and medicine exemption were being
filed in the House and Senate. Farm-state senators and representatives,
who say farmers would benefit from revisions in U.S. policy,said the
exemption would pass easily, if they can arrange floor votes.
Similar language was approved in early August on a 70-28 vote in the
Senate. It was removed during House-Senate negotiations on a $69
billion agriculture funding bill at the demand of House Republican
leaders adamantly opposed to any change in sanctions against Cuba.
During a news conference, Ashcroft said Senate leaders agreed to seek
A vote next week to exempt food and medicine.``I expect it to be
shortly." "It's an outdated policy that we have employed for years,"
said Representative George Nethercutt, Washington state Republican and repeatedly a sponsor of provisions to remove agriculturalsanctions.
Three dozen farm groups and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce supported the
food and medicine exemption.
Under the latest proposal, food and medicine would be exempt from
unilateral U.S. embargoes unless Congress voted to include them. No
federal financing would be offered. With Clinton administration
decisions to ease sanctions on Iran, Libya, Sudan and North Korea,
attention has shifted to Cuba. Farm groups say it could become a major
market for U.S. farm exports since it spends $900 million a year on
food imports.
Some analysts say U.S. sales would not blossom unless a credit package
was available as well. Cuba is short on hard currency to make purchases outright, they said.
Even though the Ashcroft amendment had the necessary votes to pass in the
conference committee, the leadership would not allow a vote and wrote it out
of the final measure.
1 October, 1999
A deal on the Agriculture Appropriations bill has been struck by Republican
leadership, and the "agreement" is being brought to the House floor for final
approval as this message is being written on Friday morning, 10/01/99. House
Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-MS)
-neither of them are members of the agriculture conference committee-negotiated
the package behind closed doors after a contentious agriculture conference
committee meeting was adjourned last week. The measure as it is being brought
to the floor of the House and Senate for approval DOES NOT include the Ashcroft
amendment to allow the sale of food and medicine to Cuba and other sanctioned
countries. So, even though the Ashcroft amendment had the necessary votes
to pass in the conference committee, the leadership would not allow a vote
and wrote it out of the final measure.
Here's a summary of what happened: As you remember, when the Agriculture
Appropriations bill was on the Senate floor this summer, Senators Ashcroft
(R-MO) and Hagel (R-NE) introduced an amendment to eliminate unilateral sanctions
on the sale of food and medicine worldwide and to institute very strict procedures
under which these kinds of sanctions could be implemented again. The amendment
passed overwhelmingly, 70-28, with a few modifications added.
Since the House Agriculture Appropriations bill had no similar provision
addressing unilateral sanctions, the difference had to be reconciled by a
House-Senate conference committee. In this conference, the Senate members
quickly voted to reaffirm their position on the Ashcroft amendment by a strong
vote of 7-4. No record of this vote is published, so we don't know how individual
senators voted. Among the House conference members, a contentious discussion
followed, with Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO), and Rep.
Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) leading the opposition to a House Republican leadership
proposal to exclude Cuba from the Ashcroft amendment. When it became clear
that the House conferees would have voted to allow the sale of food and medicine
to Cuba, the House Republican leadership recessed the conference committee
rather than permit a vote. The conference was never reconvened.
Republican leadership then came up with its own "compromise," without the
participation of the Agriculture conference committee members. This leadership
proposal dropped the Ashcroft amendment entirely, also dropped a controversial
dairy provision, and increased funds for an assistance package for farmers.
The entire Agriculture bill, including the "compromise" was then circulated
to conferees for their signatures. With some additional policy changes added
to the liking of individual conferees, and despite some valiant hold-outs
by supporters of the Ashcroft language, both Democrat and Republican, enough
signatures were gathered on September 30 and the case was closed.
This extreme manipulation of the legislative process by the Republican leadership
has infuriated Republicans as well as Democrats.
Supporters of the Ashcroft amendment remain dedicated to the issue, and the
Dodd/Serrano legislation on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba (S. 926/H.R.
1644) continues to be relevant. It will be brought up again next year.
ACTION: Continue to strongly encourage your senators and representative
to cosponsor the Dodd/Serrano bills. This is especially important in the House,
where it has been impossible to secure a vote on the sale of food and medicine
to Cuba.
September 23, 1999
September 22, 1999
September 21, 1999
The genocidal sector of US Congress wins the day.
Ashcroft Ammendement modified.
Cuba is excluded from plan to ease US bans on food and medicine.
US farm groups dissapointed.
September 15,1999
