[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 125 (Tuesday, October 10, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Page S10147]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                         SANCTIONS AGAINST CUBA

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, the House of Representatives has, again, 
thwarted the will of a bipartisan majority of the Congress.
  After strong votes in both the House and Senate to lift sanctions on 
the sale of food and medicine to Cuba, the Republican conferees on the 
Agriculture appropriations bill have added a provision to prohibit 
public financing which makes it virtually certain that few, if any, 
sales will actually occur.
  It is bad for America's farmers, bad for the people of Cuba, and bad 
foreign policy.
  Even worse, the conferees would codify the restrictions on travel to 
Cuba, a position which is at odds with the fundamental right of every 
American to travel freely.
  Senator Dodd and I introduced legislation earlier this year that 
would lift the ban on travel to Cuba. It is ironic--or I should say it 
is outrageous--that Americans can travel to North Korea, or Syria, or 
Vietnam, but not Cuba. What a hypocritical, self-defeating, 
anachronistic policy.
  Senator Dodd spoke eloquently last Friday about this misguided 
provision and I want to associate myself with his remarks. I will not 
take more time today.
  But I want to say that this is a terrible decision, a partisan 
decision, a decision driven by politics, and one of the many, many 
reasons why the election on November 7 is so important. It is far past 
time that we inject some intelligence and bipartisanship into our 
foreign policy.
  This Congress has had its chance. It has fallen short in too many 
ways to count. This decision on Cuba is just another example of the 
106th Congress' failures to do what is right for America, and right for 
the American people.

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