[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 10]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 14776-14777]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                 LIFT THE UNITED STATES EMBARGO ON CUBA

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 26, 2001

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, encouraged in part by a recent resolution 
passed by the Texas State Legislature, I rise again this Congress to 
introduce my bill to lift the United States Embargo on Cuba.
  On June 29, 2001, the Texas state legislature adopted a resolution 
calling for an end to U.S. economic sanctions against Cuba. Lawmakers 
emphasized the failure of sanctions to remove Castro from power, and 
the unwillingness of other nations to respect the embargo. One Texas 
Representative stated:
  ``We have a lot of rice and agricultural products, as well as high-
tech products, that would be much cheaper for Cuba to purchase from 
Texas. All that could come through the ports of Houston and Corpus 
Christi.'' I wholeheartedly support this resolution, and I have 
introduced similar federal legislation in past years to lift all trade, 
travel, and telecommunications restrictions with Cuba. I only wish 
Congress understood the simple wisdom expressed in Austin, so that we 
could end the harmful and ineffective trade sanctions that serve no 
national purpose.
  I oppose economic sanctions for two very simple reasons. First, they 
don't work as effective foreign policy. Time after time, from Cuba to 
China to Iraq, we have failed to unseat despotic leaders by refusing to 
trade with the people of those nations. If anything, the anti-American 
sentiment aroused by sanctions often strengthens the popularity of such 
leaders, who use America as a convenient scapegoat to divert attention 
from their own tyranny. History clearly shows that free and open trade 
does far more to liberalize oppressive governments than trade wars. 
Economic freedom and political freedom are inextricably linked--when 
people get a taste of goods and information from abroad, they are less 
likely to tolerate a closed society at home. So while sanctions may 
serve our patriotic fervor, they mostly harm innocent citizens and do 
nothing to displace the governments we claim as enemies.
  Second, sanctions simply hurt American industries, particularly 
agriculture. Every market we close to our nation's farmers is a market 
exploited by foreign farmers. China, Russia, the middle east, North 
Korea, and Cuba all represent huge markets for our farm products, yet 
many in Congress favor current or proposed trade restrictions that 
prevent our farmers from selling to the billions of people in these 
ares. The department of Agriculture estimates that Iraq alone 
represents a $1 billion market for American farm goods. Given our 
status as one of the world's largest agricultural producers, why would 
we ever choose to restrict our exports? The only beneficiaries of our 
sanctions policies are our foreign competitors.
  Still, support for sanctions continues in Congress. The House 
International Relations committee last week considered legislation that 
will extend existing economic sanctions against Iran and Libya for 
another 5 years. While I certainly oppose this legislation, I did agree 
with the President that we should at least limit the time period to 2 
years, so that Congress could reassess the policy sooner. I introduced 
an amendment to this effect, but the majority of committee members 
voted to continue ``punishing'' Iran and Libya for 5 years; presumably 
some members would agree to maintain sanctions indefinitely. 
Interestingly the bill focuses on preventing oil exploration and 
development in the region, even when new sources of oil are sorely 
needed to reduce prices at the pump for American consumers.
  I certainly understand the emotional feelings many Americans have 
toward nations such as Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Cuba. Yet we must not let 
our emotions overwhelm our judgment in foreign policy matters, because 
ultimately human lives are at stake. For example, 10 years of trade 
sanctions against Iraq, not to mention aggressive air patrols and even 
bombings, have not ended Saddam Hussein's rule. If anything, the 
political situation has worsened, while the threat to Kuwait remains. 
The sanctions have, however, created suffering due to critical 
shortages of food and medicine among the mostly poor inhabitants of 
Iraq. So while the economic benefits of trade are an important argument 
against sanctions, we must also consider the humanitarian argument. Our 
sanctions policies undermine America's position as a humane nation, 
bolstering the common criticism that we are a bully with no respect for 
people outside our borders. Economic common sense, self-interested 
foreign policy goals, and humanitarian ideals all point to the same 
conclusion: Congress should work to end economic sanctions against all 
nations immediately.
  The legislation I introduce today is representative of true free 
trade in that while it opens trade, it prohibits the U.S. Taxpayer from 
being compelled to subsidize the United States government, the Cuban 
government or individuals or entities that choose to trade with Cuban 
citizens.
  I submit for inclusion in the record, a copy of the Sense of Congress 
Resolution passed in Austin in late June.

                  Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 54

       Whereas, The relationship between the United States and 
     Cuba has long been marked by tension and confrontation; 
     further heightening this hostility is the 40-year-old United 
     States trade embargo against the island nation that remains 
     the longest-standing embargo in modern history; and
       Whereas, Cuba imports nearly a billion dollars' worth of 
     food every year, including approximately 1,100,000 tons of 
     wheat, 420,000 tons of rice, 37,000 tons of poultry, and 
     60,000 tons of dairy products; these amounts are expected to 
     grow significantly in coming years as Cuba slowly recovers 
     from the severe economic recession it has endured following 
     the withdrawal of subsidies from the former Soviet Union in 
     the last decade; and
       Whereas, Agriculture is the second-largest industry in 
     Texas, and this state ranks among the top five states in 
     overall value of agricultural exports at more than $3 billion 
     annually; thus, Texas is ideally positioned to benefit from 
     the market opportunities that free trade with Cuba would 
     provide; rather than depriving Cuba of agricultural products, 
     the United States embargo succeeds only in driving sales to 
     competitors in other countries that have no such 
     restrictions; and
       Whereas, In recent years, Cuba has developed important 
     pharmaceutical products, namely, a new meningitis B vaccine 
     that has virtually eliminated the disease in Cuba; such 
     products have the potential to protect Americans against 
     diseases that continue to threaten large populations around 
     the world; and
       Whereas, Cuba's potential oil reserves have attracted the 
     interest of numerous other

[[Page 14777]]

     countries who have been helping Cuba develop its existing 
     wells and search for new reserves; Cuba's oil output has 
     increased more than 400 percent over the last decade; and
       Whereas, The United States' trade, financial, and travel 
     restrictions against Cuba hinder Texas' export of 
     agricultural and food products, its ability to import 
     critical energy products, the treatment of illnesses 
     experienced by Texans, and the right of Texans to travel 
     freely; now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas 
     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to 
     consider the removal of trade, financial, and travel 
     restrictions relating to Cuba; and, be it further
       Resolved, That the Texas secretary of state forward 
     official copies of this resolution to the president of the 
     United States, to the speaker of the house of representatives 
     and the president of the senate of the United States 
     Congress, and to all the members of the Texas delegation to 
     the congress with the request that this resolution be 
     officially entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial 
     to the congress of the United States of America.

     

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