[Congressional Record Volume 142, Number 24 (Tuesday, February 27, 1996)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1340-S1341]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CUBA POLICY
Mr. DOLE. Mr. President, the entire world is now aware of Fidel
Castro's attack on unarmed American civilian aircraft in international
airspace. The U.S. Coast Guard has now called off its search for
survivors. Four American citizens have been murdered by Fidel Castro's
fighter jets. Brothers to the Rescue is a Florida-based humanitarian
group which flies the straits of Florida searching for the desperate
product of Fidel Castro's Communist system: refugees in makeshift boats
seeking to escape repression. For these efforts, four Americans gave
their lives. It is time to honor their memory with real action against
Fidel Castro's tyranny.
The apologists for Fidel Castro have already come up with excuses--
Brothers to the Rescue had penetrated Cuban airspace in the past, Cuban
flight control personnel gave warnings, and on and on. It now appears
that Castro even has a planted double agent who will perform a theater
of absurd for the world.
But these diversions cannot obscure the basic reality. The reality is
there can be no excuse for this act of aggression. The reality is that
Castro's crimes now include an illegal international air assault
against American citizens. The reality is that the time is long overdue
for serious action against Castro's Cuba. It should not take the murder
of four American citizens for the Clinton administration to understand
that warming up to Fidel Castro is wrong.
The Clinton adminstration has been strong in its rhetoric. Yesterday,
President Clinton said, the shoot down was a ``flagrant violation of
international laws * * * and the United States will not tolerate it.''
But the strong words were not, unfortunately, followed with strong
action.
Yes, President Clinton is taking a case to the United Nations to seek
international sanctions. I hope the Clinton administration has the same
success that the Reagan administration had in 1983 in building an
international coalition against the brutal Soviet attack on Korean
Airlines flight 007--under the able leadership of U.N. Ambassador Jeane
Kirkpatrick. The Clinton administration has had no success to date in
internationalizing the embargo on Cuba. The Clinton administration has
spent little time and effort in such efforts, focusing instead on
isolating and invading Haiti--the poorest country in the hemisphere.
Yes, President Clinton suspended charter flights to Cuba. But for
months, the Clinton administration has looked the other way as the
travel ban to Cuba has been regularly violated.
Yes, President Clinton has said there will be further restrictions on
Cuban officials in the United States. But these officials are already
supposed to be under strict control. And the Clinton administration
allowed Fidel Castro to enter the United States last year--to the great
satisfaction of the liberal elite who wined and dined the hemisphere's
last dictator in New York.
Yes, President Clinton said he wanted to work with Congress to
``promptly reach agreement'' on legislation to enhance the embargo on
Cuba. But the Clinton administration led the charge against such
legislation for more than a year--for more than a year--orchestrating a
Senate filibuster and issuing veto threats.
I hope the President might now join us. There will be a conference
tomorrow morning on the Dole-Helms-Burton bill. We certainly appreciate
the President's support.
The Congress is waiting for the Clinton administration to follow
through on President Clinton's promise.
Yes, President Clinton said he would support more funding for Radio
Marti to break Castro's information stranglehold on the Cuban people.
But he was silent about TV Marti, and the Clinton administration has
dragged its feet in making the technical improvements to TV Marti which
would allow it to be seen by more Cubans.
President Clinton did not even restore the status quo to include
sanctions which he eased last year. On October 6, 1995, President
Clinton announced a series of steps easing the embargo on Castro's
Cuba. At the time, I said the Clinton administration gave Castro a
propaganda victory and may have prolonged the Castro dictatorship.
There are many unilateral steps President Clinton could have and
should have taken yesterday: Announcing serious enforcement of the
travel ban, opening a Treasury Department office in Miami, denying
visas for Cuban Government and party officials, and increased Federal
Bureau of Investigation actions against Cuban agents in the United
States.
But the most important step was not taken--an unequivocal endorsement
of the Helms-Dole-Burton Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act.
This legislation was passed by the Senate on October 19, 1995, by a
vote of 74 to 24 and passed by the House 294 to 130 on September 21,
1995. The conference committee will meet tomorrow morning to reconcile
differences between the two versions, and I expect Senate action before
the end of the week.
The Libertad bill strengthens the embargo on Cuba, offers real
incentives for democratic change and takes real action to deter foreign
investment in Cuba. The conference legislation will enable American
citizens to use American courts to pursue claims against those who use
confiscated property in Cuba. The conference legislation will also deny
visas to officials who confiscate American property. Finally, the
conference report will codify the existing embargo on Cuba,
conditioning the end of the embargo on democratic change in Cuba. I
also expect the conference report to include a strong condemnation of
Castro's terror in the skies.
I know the conferees are receptive to one proposal by President
Clinton--authorizing the use of frozen Cuban assets to compensate the
families of the latest victims of Castro's regime. That is a good idea.
In fact, the conference may look at other uses for the frozen assets--
financing Radio and TV Marti, for example, or supporting the democratic
opposition in Cuba.
As I indicated earlier, we stand ready to hear from the Clinton
administration on the Libertad legislation. I hope President Clinton
will finally endorse the tough sanctions that Castro really fears. Then
the administration's actions will match their rhetoric.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER (Mr. Santorum). Without objection, it is so
ordered.
[[Page S1341]]
SOLICITING STAFF FOR RESEARCH DISCUSSION
Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I want to take a minute of the Senate's
time to comment on a recent solicitation made to one of my staff
members.
I was very concerned to find out that a market research company is
calling congressional staffers and offering them $150 to participate in
a research discussion on the subject of spectrum allocation. My staff
was told that for spending 2 hours discussing this subject, the
individual would either be paid $150 or could direct the money to be
given to the charity of his or her choosing. The meeting, which my
staff has declined to attend, is currently scheduled for tomorrow.
Mr. President, I have asked the Ethics Committee to comment on this
discussion group offer. They informed my staff that being paid to
attend such an event is not allowed.
Based on the Ethics Committee decision, I hope no Senate staff from
any office will attend this meeting. What is so disconcerting about
this offer is the idea that staff would be paid by an outside source to
discuss an issue that will soon be before this body.
As most Members of the Senate know, the broadcast industry has been
running full-page ads on the subject and is expected to soon launch a
multimillion-dollar media campaign to defeat any effort to mandate
spectrum auctions. I support broadcast spectrum auctions and will
continue to do that. Others oppose my efforts, and that is their right.
In the public forum of the Senate, we will decide what is the right
thing to do. As we debate this, we should be careful to live up to the
letter and spirit of the gift ban.
I do not know who hired the research company and what games are being
orchestrated, but this technique is an insult to the Senate. I hope we
will not see this type of lobbying or information gathering again.
I ask unanimous consent that a fax from Shugoll Research Corp. be
printed in the Record.
There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in
the Record, as follows:
Shugoll Research,
Bethesda, MD, February 26, 1996.
To: Grant Seiffert
Office: Senator McCain
From: Mrs. Day
We are inviting Capitol Hill staffers to attend a research
discussion on behalf of KRC Research & Consulting, a national
opinion research organization.
This study focuses on the spectrum allocation debate.
The purpose of this group discussion is purely information-
gathering. All comments will be anonymous.
The group will consist of about eight other Hill staffers
and a professional moderator who will lead the informal
discussion.
The group is being held on Wednesday, February 28th.
Please call us ASAP so we can reserve a space for you.
Our number is (301) 215-7248.
Mr. McCAIN. In summary, I repeat that I am surprised that a company
would offer staffers what would amount to $75 an hour for discussion of
an issue that is going to be before this body. I hope we do not see a
repetition of this kind of activity.
I intend to try to find out who hired the Shugoll Research
organization to do this, and I intend to publicize that organization
because I think it is an unethical act and one that is far beneath
certainly the members of the staff of this body.
Mr. President, I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
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