[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 5]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 5934]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




               HUMANITARIAN FOOD AND MEDICINE EXPORT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                             HON. RON PAUL

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, April 6, 2005

  Mr. PAUL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce legislation that will 
remove current, and prohibit future, embargoes on the export of food, 
medicine, or medical devices. Embargoes on these items, as we have seen 
time and time again, do not have the desired policy effect on the 
targeted country. In fact, they only punish the innocent and most 
vulnerable people in these countries. Does anyone believe that denying 
the people of a foreign country food or medicine because of our quarrel 
with their leader will make them more sympathetic toward the United 
States? We are fond of talking about ``humanitarian'' treatment in 
foreign countries. But it is our policy of embargoing the export of 
food and medicine to certain countries that is most un-humanitarian. We 
need to practice what we preach.
  Also, it is very important to remember the harm we do to our own 
citizens when we deny them the right to sell their products to whoever 
they like. It is not very humanitarian to deny our own citizens the 
right to their livelihood because our political leadership does not get 
along with the political leadership of another country.
  Mr. Speaker, we do ourselves no favors in denying our citizens the 
right to export the essentials for life to citizens abroad. And we do 
no real harm to leaders abroad, who actually benefit by our sanction 
policies, as they provide a convenient scapegoat for their own economic 
failures. The fact is that trade promotes peace. Forcibly cutting off 
trade relations with another country promotes militarism and conflict.
  I hope my colleagues will join me by co-sponsoring this legislation.

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