Gov. Cuomo heads to Cuba on trade mission to help New York businesses, but critics say he has different agenda

Gov. Cuomo heads to Cuba on trade mission to help New York businesses,
but critics say he has different agenda
BY GLENN BLAIN NEW YORK DAILY NEWS Saturday, April 18, 2015, 11:22 PM

ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo heads to Cuba Monday on a trade mission that critics
charge is aimed more at generating headlines than creating economic
opportunities for New York.

Cuomo will leave Monday morning and will spend just over a day on the
island nation in what administration officials insist is an effort to
open pathways for New York businesses.

The taxpayer-funded trip is the first by a U.S. governor since President
Obama decided in December to normalize relations with Cuba.

"This trade mission, part of the broader Global NY initiative, will
guarantee that New York businesses are first in line to take advantage
of this new, emerging economic market," said Cuomo spokeswoman Melissa
DeRosa.

Cuomo's office has released sparse details on the mission — including
his precise itinerary — but he is expected to travel with a delegation
of about 20 business and government leaders, including Assembly Speaker
Carl Heastie (D-Bronx).

Critics argued Cuba has little to offer New York businesses and
questioned Cuomo's motives.

"Let's be honest, there is not a lot of money to be made in an
impoverished place with little free enterprise," said E.J. McMahon of
the Empire Center for Public Policy.

"It's political and it's hypocritical," added state GOP Chairman Ed Cox.

Although the Obama administration has loosened travel and other
restrictions, Cuba is still subject to sanctions and a trade embargo
that can only be lifted by Congress. The President met with Cuban leader
Raul Castro last week in Panama and both pledged to work towards better
relations.

John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a
business group, said it would have been better to wait until the two
nations were further along in establishing relations.

"The potential outcomes would be better because the financial
impediments would have been removed," Kavulich said.

Administration officials say the state can reap long-term gains by
establishing ties now.

"New York is a leader in protecting and advancing human rights under
Gov. Cuomo, and while we cannot ignore our disagreements with the Cuban
government, as the President has said, we can do more to support the
Cuban people and promote our values through engagement and diplomacy,
rather than by continuing a policy of isolation which has failed for the
last 50 years," DeRosa said.

Source: Cuomo heads to Cuba on trade mission to help N.Y. businesses -
NY Daily News -
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cuomo-heads-cuba-trade-mission-n-y-businesses-article-1.2190476