[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 60 (Thursday, April 29, 1999)]
[Senate]
[Pages S4458-S4459]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DODD (for himself, Mr. Hagel, Mr. Grams, Mr. Lugar, Mr. 
        Chafee, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Kerrey, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Levin, Mr. 
        Kennedy, Mr. Jeffords, Mrs. Lincoln, and Mrs. Murray):
  S. 926. A bill to provide the people of Cuba with access to food and 
medicines from the United States, and for other purposes; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.


            The Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999

 Mr. DODD. Mr. President, today Senator John Warner and twelve 
of our colleagues in the Senate are introducing a bill to end 
restrictions on the sale of food and medicine to Cuba--the so-called 
Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999. Our House colleagues Jose 
Serrano and Jim Leach are introducing the House companion bill today as 
well.
  Yesterday the Clinton Administration took some long overdue steps to 
end the practice of using food and medicine as foreign policy weapons. 
President Clinton has decided to reverse existing U.S. policy of 
prohibiting sales of such items to Iran, Libya, and Sudan. We applaud 
that decision. Joe Lockhart, the White House spokesman said President 
Clinton had decided that, ``food should not be used as a tool of 
foreign policy, except under the most compelling circumstances.''
  In announcing the change in policy yesterday, Under Secretary of 
State Stuart Eizenstat stated that President Clinton had approved the 
policy after a two-year review concluded that the sale of food and 
medicine ``doesn't encourage a nation's military capability or its 
ability to support terrorism.''
  I am gratified that the administration has finally recognized what we 
determined some time ago, namely that ``sales of food, medicine and 
other human necessities do not generally enhance a nation's military 
capacities or support terrorism.'' On the contrary, funds spent on 
agricultural commodities and products are not available for other, less 
desirable uses.
  Regrettably, the Administration did not include Cuba in its announced 
policy changes. It seems to me terribly inconsistent to say that it is 
wrong to deny the children of Iran, Sudan and Libya access to food and 
medicine, but it is all right to deny Cuban children, living ninety 
miles from our shores, similar access. The administration's rationale 
for not including Cuba was rather confused. The best I can discern from 
the conflicting rationale for not including Cuba in the announced 
policy changes was that policy toward Cuba has been established by 
legislation rather than executive order, and therefore should be 
changed through legislative action.
  I disagree with that judgment. However, in order to facilitate the 
lifting of such restrictions on such sales to Cuba, Senator Warner, 
myself, and twelve of our Senate colleagues have decided to move 
forward with this legislation today.
  It is our assumption that the Clinton Administration will support 
this legislation, since it does legislatively for Cuba what it has just 
instituted by Executive order for Sudan, Libya and Iran.

  What about those who say that it is already possible to sell food and 
medicine to Cuba? To those people I would say, ``If that is what you 
think, then you should have no problem supporting this legislation.''
  However, I must tell you, Mr. President, that the people who say that 
are not members of the U.S. agricultural or pharmaceutical industries. 
Ask any representative of a major drug or grain company about selling 
to Cuba and they will tell you it is virtually impossible.
  The Administration's own statistics speak for themselves. Department 
of Commerce licensing statistics prove our point:
  Between 1992 and mid-1997, the Commerce Department approved only 28 
licenses for such sales, valued at less than $1 million, for the entire 
period. To give you some perspective: prior to the passage of the 1992 
Cuba Democracy Act which shut down U.S. food and medicine exports, Cuba 
was importing roughly $700 million of such products on an annual basis 
from U.S. subsidiaries.
  Moreover, since Commerce Department officials do no follow up on 
whether proposed licenses culminate in actual sales, the high water 
mark for the export of U.S. medicines to Cuba over a four and one half 
year period doesn't even represent roughly 0.1% of the exports of U.S. 
food and medicines that took place prior to 1992.
  For these reasons we feel strongly that the complexities of the U.S. 
licensing process, coupled with on-site verification requirements, 
serve as de facto prohibitions on U.S. pharmaceutical companies doing 
business with Cuba. Food sales are virtually impossible to undertake as 
well.
  Let me be clear--I am not defending the Cuban government for its 
human rights practices or some of its other

[[Page S4459]]

policy decisions. I believe that we should speak out strongly on such 
matters as respect for human rights and the treatment of political 
dissidents. But U.S. policy with respect to Cuba goes far beyond that--
it denies eleven million innocent Cuban men, women and children access 
to U.S. food and medicine.
  The highly respected human rights organization, Human Rights Watch--a 
severe critic of the Cuban government's human rights practices--
recently concluded, that the ``(U.S.) embargo has not only failed to 
bring about human rights improvements in Cuba,'' it has actually 
``become counterproductive'' to achieving that goal.
  America is not about denying medicine or food to the people in Sudan, 
in Libya, or in Iran, and it shouldn't be about denying food and 
medicine to the Cuban people either, certainly not my America.
  That is why I hope my colleagues will support this legislation when 
it comes to a vote later this year.
 Mr. WARNER. Mr. President, I rise today as chief co-sponsor of 
the Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999. I am pleased to join 
my good friend and colleague Senator Dodd and many of our colleagues in 
introducing this important legislation.
  The goal of this bill is simple--alleviate the suffering of the Cuban 
people created by the inadequate supplies of food, medicine and medical 
supplies on that island nation less than 100 miles from our shore. If 
enacted, this legislation would authorize the President to permit the 
sale of food, medicine and medical equipment to the Cuban people.
  The Cuban Food and Medicine Security Act of 1999 also mandates that a 
study be carried out on how to promote the consumption of U.S. 
agricultural commodities in Cuba through existing U.S. agricultural 
export promotion and credit programs and requires a report to Congress 
assessing the impact of the bill six months after its enactment.
  Yesterday, President Clinton announced an important change in U.S. 
economic sanctions policy which will enable U.S. firms to sell food and 
medicine to Iran, Sudan and Libya. In making the announcement, Under 
Secretary of State Stuart Eizenstat stated ``Sales of food, medicine 
and other human necessities do not generally enhance a nation's 
military capabilities or support terrorism. On the contrary, funds 
spent on agricultural commodities and products are not available for 
other, less desirable uses. Our purpose in applying sanctions is to 
influence the behavior of regimes, not to deny people their basic 
humanitarian needs.''
  This major change in the Administration's sanctions policy, however, 
will not affect Cuba because restrictions on the sale of food and 
medicine to that country are statutory. The legislation we are 
introducing today, however, would remove those restrictions on the sale 
of food and other agricultural products, medicine and medical supplies 
with regards to Cuba.
  The time has come to stop using food and medicine as a foreign policy 
tool. I hope my colleagues will join us in supporting this important 
and timely legislation.
                                 ______