Menendez Confident Cuba Trade Embargo Will Hold

Menendez Confident Cuba Trade Embargo Will Hold
By Niels Lesniewski
Posted at 11:21 a.m. today

A Senate opponent of rolling back a U.S. embargo with Cuba says
supporters are putting the financial benefits ahead of the well-being of
the Cuban people.

"Evidently … for many members trade and money is more important than
human rights, but that's their prerogative. I don't think they're going
to get very far," Sen. Robert Menendez told CQ Roll Call.

The New Jersey Democrat was not particularly concerned with Thursday's
introduction of a new proposal by Sens. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., and Angus
King, I-Maine, to expand trading opportunities between the U.S. and
Cuba. Menendez said he expected Republican leadership would block any
such legislation from advancing.

Advocates of the policy changes view the matter through an entirely
different lens, making the case that increased interactions with U.S.
markets will bring benefits to the Cuban population.

"Cuba is only 90 miles from our border, making it a natural market for
our nation's farmers and ranchers," Moran said in a statement. "By
lifting the embargo and opening up the market for U.S. agricultural
commodities, we will not only boost the U.S. economy but also help bring
about reforms in the repressive Cuban government. I am hopeful that
increasing the standard of living among Cuban citizens will enable them
to make greater demands on their own government to increase individual
and political rights."

King joining with Moran makes the measure bipartisan, because the
independent senator from Maine caucuses with Democrats. And in his own
statement, King sought to put the matter in historical context.

"Like the Cold War that created it, the embargo should be put in the
history books," King said. "The Cuba Trade Act would finally end our
outdated embargo policy and establish a new economic relationship with
Cuba that will support increased trade for American businesses and help
the Cuban economy and its people to flourish. It's past time we take
this step forward, and I hope Congress will act to help bring our
relationship with Cuba into the 21st century."

The new legislation is designed to allow U.S. agricultural producers and
others in private business to trade with Cuba by lifting the embargo,
but it would retain existing prohibitions on using federal funds for
promotional purposes. Programs such as producer check-offs would be able
to fund those market development activities, however.

But Moran and King have an uphill climb against the likes Menendez and
Florida GOP Sen. Marco Rubio, who are against any proposals akin to what
Moran and King unveiled Thursday.

"Senator Rubio opposes any unilateral concessions to the Castro regime
that enrich its repressive military and security services while failing
to achieve concrete results on political reforms and human rights, the
repatriation of U.S. terrorists and fugitives being harbored in Cuba,
resolving uncompensated property claims, and removing restrictions on
U.S. diplomats in Cuba," Rubio spokesperson Brooke Sammon said.

Rubio and Menendez were, not surprisingly, among the first to criticize
news that the Obama administration would be removing the Cuban
government from the list of state sponsors of terrorism.

In recent weeks, Rubio has introduced legislation to block financial
transactions with Cuban military and security services — backed by
Menendez and others — and pressed Secretary of State John Kerry on
negotiations with the government of the island country, ahead of a
possible confirmation battle over a U.S. ambassador.

"Establishing diplomatic relations with the Castro regime without
verified improvements in the situation faced by the Cuban people would
not be consistent with our values as a nation and the intent of the U.S.
Congress, as codified in law," Rubio wrote in a June 1 letter. "It is
also important that pro-democracy activities not be sacrificed in the
name of 'diplomacy' just so that we can change the name of a building
from 'Interest Section' to 'Embassy'."

President Barack Obama first announced his intent to significantly
change course with respect to Cuba back in December of 2014, but
Republican leaders in Congress have been against moves like lifting the
longstanding embargo.

And the White House has said Obama would "relish" a trip to Havana.
Obama has said he doesn't think keeping an embargo that hasn't succeeded
in half a century makes sense.

Speaker John A. Boehner signaled last month that he had no intention of
taking legislative steps like those floated by Moran and King.

"As I've said before," the Ohio Republican said in a statement.
"relations with the Castro regime should not be revisited, let alone
normalized, until the Cuban people enjoy freedom — and not one second
sooner."

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