House Eases Restrictions on Cuba

W A S H I N G T O N, July 21, 2000 -- The House voted today to allow unrestrictedU.S. food and drug sales to Cuba and let Americans freely travelthere. The vote was a major victory for farm, business and othergroups trying to ease the four-decade-old sanctions against FidelCastro’s government.

With supporters arguing that increased contacts would helpweaken Castro’s hold over the communist nation, the House voted232-186 to stop enforcing rules that limit the ability of Americansto travel to Cuba.

It then voted 301-116 to also halt enforcement of rules banningU.S. exports there of food, and of rules limiting sales there ofAmerican medicine.

Minutes earlier, lawmakers voted 241-174 to reject a broaderproposal by Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., that would have endedenforcement of United States prohibitions against virtually alltrading with the Caribbean island nation.

Major Setback for GOP Leaders

Even so, approval of the narrower provisions was a major victoryfor an alliance of conservative, liberal, business- and farm-statelawmakers. And it was an embarrassing setback for House GOPleaders, who have opposed easing the sanctions.

The Senate approved a separate agriculture spending bill onThursday that would permit food and medical sales with Cuba andprevent a president from blocking shipments of food and medicine toany country without congressional approval.

But it was unclear whether Thursday’s votes meant that tradesanctions with Cuba would be lifted this year.

“This improves the likelihood we’ll have some sanctionreform,” Rep. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., sponsor of the provision easingfood and drug restrictions, said after the vote. “But there aremany members of Congress, including people in the leadership, whooppose lifting sanctions this year.”

Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has said he thinksthe Senate language—and a compromise worked out last monthbetween House leaders and supporters of easing trade sanctions -goes too far.

Clinton’s Backing

President Clinton has supported opening food and drug trade withCuba.

At a minimum, the votes seemed certain to strengthen the hand ofRep. George Nethercutt, R-Wash., the leader of farm-state lawmakerswho earlier this year tried to lift the food and medicine embargoagainst Cuba and four other countries but ran into opposition byRepublican leaders.

The two sides agreed to a compromise last month that House GOPleaders have promised to try pushing into law. Thursday’s votesseemed to increase pressure on the leaders to at least make surethe compromise finds its way into law.

In an interview afterward, Nethercutt did not rule outdiscussing possible changes in his agreement with the leadership.

“This is an indication the House wants us to have food andmedicine commerce with Cuba,” he said.

During the debate, anti-Castro legislators said allowing Cuba toreceive more U.S. trade and tourists would help prop up his regime.

Measures Ripped

Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said the revenue Cuba wouldgain from easing the restrictions would help “the worst violatorof human rights in all of the Western Hemisphere.”

“Where’s your compassion” for the Cubans and Americans Castrohas killed? asked House Majority Whip Tom DeLay, R-Texas, who was achief opponent to Nethercutt’s effort earlier this year.

But sponsors of easing the trade and travel embargoes said theresult would be to accelerate the drive toward freedom in Cuba.

Ronald Reagan “allowed Americans with backpacks to travel inEastern Europe, and it did help bring down the Berlin Wall,” saidconservative Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C., chief sponsor of thelanguage easing the travel restrictions.

‘Economic Freedom’

“Personal freedom follows economic freedom,” said Rep. JerryMoran, R-Kan., who conceded that lifting the food embargo wouldhelp his farm-state constituents.

Sales of medicine to Cuba have been allowed since 1992 withcertain restrictions.

As a result of an easing of travel restrictions last year by theClinton administration for students, athletes, artists and others,the government says about 82,000 Americans flew to Cuba last year.That was a 47 percent over the 55,900 who did so in 1998.

Under last month’s agreement between House GOP leaders andNethercutt, Americans could sell food and drugs to Cuba, Libya,Iran, Sudan and North Korea. But Cubans would be required to payfor them with cash or with credit from a third country.

The prohibition against financing by the U.S. government or U.S.banks was seen by many critics, including some farm-statelawmakers, as meaning that little trade would actually occur as aresult of the agreement.

That agreement would also write into law an existing ban on U.S.tourist travel to Cuba.

The Clinton administration decided a year ago to allow sales offood and medicine to Iran, Libya and Sudan but was barred by lawfrom easing the embargo on Cuba.

The provisions the House debated Thursday were offered asamendments to a measure financing the Treasury Department and othersmaller agencies in the coming fiscal year. The overall bill wasapproved by 216-202.

The Senate version of the bill has no language affecting tradewith Cuba.