[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 51 (Tuesday, April 30, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E668]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          PERSONAL EXPLANATION

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                           HON. DENNIS MOORE

                               of kansas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, April 30, 2002

  Mr. MOORE. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of Representative Cal 
Dooley's motion to instruct conferees to agree to Senate provisions 
that would lift a ban on private financing of agricultural sales to 
Cuba. Unfortunately due to reasons beyond my control, I was not able to 
vote; had I been able to vote, I would have voted in favor of lifting 
the ban on private financing of agricultural sales to Cuba.
  The Dooley motion to instruct conferees, relating to Sec. 335 of the 
farm bill and agricultural trade with Cuba, permits only private 
financing of agricultural sales to Cuba, and maintains the United 
States ban on government financing. The Dooley provision says that that 
private enterprise should make lending decisions. The Federal 
Government should not be in the position of denying private entities 
the right to finance sales of agricultural goods to Cuba. Under current 
law, no provision of credit from a United States financial entity of 
any kind is allowed. United States agricultural exporters must either 
arrange for credit through an overseas bank, or must insist on cash in 
advance from the Cuban importer.
  Even with these cumbersome restrictions, United States farmers have 
been able to realize more than $35 million in sales to Cuba within the 
last 3 months, including Kansas wheat. Cuba has purchased a wide range 
of American products, including rice, chicken, soybeans, wheat, corn, 
and vegetable oil.
  The Cuba Policy Foundation recently released a study showing the 
embargo of Cuba is costing United States farmers up to $1.24 billion in 
annual exports to Cuba, and another $3.6 billion in agricultural 
related output. Moreover, the American public supports agricultural 
trade with Cuba. In a 2001 poll, conducted for the Cuba Policy 
Foundation, 71.3 percent of Americans agreed that American companies 
should be allowed to sell food to Cuba. My State of Kansas' potential 
income from Cuban food exports is predicted at $38,770,000 per year 
including the creation of 1,098 new jobs.
  Today, the 40-plus year-old embargo against Cuba has failed to 
achieve the policy objectives of the United States. The cold war has 
been history for well over a decade; why continue to make the Cuban 
people and American farmers suffer for a war we won on so many other 
fronts?

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