Talk of the Cold War heated up the House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee last Thursday as they looked at U.S.-Cuba policy. They heard testimony from six witnesses, all of whom voiced support for overhauling Washington’s policy toward Havana.
Wayne Smith was a Foreign Service officer in the U.S. embassy in Havana when official ties were suspended in 1961.
He said there’s no compelling argument for maintaining the status quo.
When I spoke with U.S. Representative for Wyoming last week, she expressed a different concern.
She told us that the House Agriculture Committee was concerned about the travel side of the bill.
After that Thursday hearing, North Dakota Congressman Earl Pomeroy blasted U.S. rules that restrict agricultural sales to Cuba. He said the policies unfairly penalize American family farmers and actually help the Castro regime by allowing the dictator to blame American policy for economic troubles on the island.
National Farmers Union (NFU) President Roger Johnson submitted testimony to the Subcommittee concerning Cuba policy. In his testimony, Johnson expressed NFU’s support of the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645), the legislation sponsored by House Agriculture Committee Chairman Collin Peterson.
Source: Northern Ag Network & National Association of Farm Broadcasting
