Press Releases

Today, Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02), second-highest ranking Democrat on the House Rules Committee, spoke on the House floor to denounce provisions in the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) and Transportation-Housing and Urban Development (T-HUD) appropriations bills that would undermine the progress of recent efforts by President Obama to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations.

“Today I want to express my concern about the dangerous and backward-thinking policies being pushed by conservative hardliners in the both the CJS and T-HUD appropriations bills,” Congressman McGovern said. “Obviously there are some members here who are nostalgic for the Cold War and policies of the past. Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and this administration, we are making real progress in normalizing relations with Cuba and connecting them with the 21st century economy.

“Instead of celebrating this progress, hardliners are once again trying to shut down the new openings for greater citizen diplomacy created by the administration,” McGovern added. “This is the wrong thing to do for America, this is the wrong thing to do for American companies, and this is the wrong thing to do for the American people.”

The full text of Congressman McGovern’s floor speech is below.

As Prepared For Delivery:

“Today I want to express my concern about the dangerous and backward-thinking policies being pushed by conservative hardliners in the both the CJS and T-HUD appropriations bills.

“Obviously there are some members here who are nostalgic for the Cold War and policies of the past.

Thanks to the leadership of President Obama and this administration, we are making real progress in normalizing relations with Cuba and connecting them with the 21st century economy. We are ending a dumb and counterproductive policy.

“In 2011, after President Obama reinstated the rules allowing Cuban Americans to visit their relatives on the island and permitting all Americans to send remittances to Cubans, hardliners used the appropriations process to prevent the policies from being implemented.

“Thankfully, Senate Democrats kept the hardliners’ provisions out of the omnibus bill and legislation reversing the modest but hopeful travel and remittance reforms never reached the President's desk.

“As a result, hundreds of thousands of trips between the U.S. and Cuba have taken place every year since, reuniting families and increasing the number of Cubans receiving the economic support they need to run their own businesses and lead more independent lives.

“Instead of celebrating this progress, hardliners are once again trying to shut down the new openings for greater citizen diplomacy created by the administration. This is the wrong thing to do for America, this is the wrong thing to do for American companies, and this is the wrong thing to do for the American people.

“For the first time in six decades, the U.S. government is encouraging citizen diplomacy, greater travel and trade, telecommunications, travel, and other industries, to build relationships and stronger ties with counterparts among the Cuban people and new entrepreneurs.

“American businesses are already seeing the potential for economic growth. That’s why Jet Blue and other airlines are expanding charter services and planning commercial routes, why ferry companies are planning to set sail for Havana, why Airbnb and Netflix are hoping to build real businesses in the Cuban market, why Governors in red and blue states alike are trying to position companies in their states to succeed.

“This provision is anti-business. Airlines and maritime businesses have already taken steps to initiate travel service to-and-from Cuba based on the Administration’s December 17, 2014 announcements and these provisions would block them.

“Even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce strongly opposes such policies. In a letter, the Chamber said they support “the freedom of American citizens to travel to and trade with Cuba” and that “Cuba is the only country in the world where the U.S. government restricts  travel by American citizens, who are able to travel freely even to Iran and North Korea, despite the lack of any evidence that this ban benefits Americans or Cubans.” As the Chamber notes, “restrictions on the ability to travel significantly impacts the ability of U.S. firms to export to Cuba” and this could mean U.S. exporters would be unable to effectively compete with foreign businesses. These policies will hold America back in an increasingly global economy.

“It is why Americans across the country, and Cuban Americans in the communities where they live, are so deeply committed to a policy that puts the Cold War behind us and puts our country on a path to creating a new and brighter future with Cuba.

“Simply put, the Cuba provisions in these two appropriations bills are trying to pull the plug on new efforts by U.S. citizens and U.S. companies to expand their presence in Cuba. As the policy moves forward, they keep trying to pull us back into the Cold War – and a policy that failed for over 50 years.

“So let’s be clear, the T-HUD appropriations bill would ground new commercial or charter flights that came into being after March 15, 2015. Jet Blue and Tampa International Airport are just two beneficiaries of the President’s new policy who would be adversely affected.

“With new ferries leaving port, as much as $340 million dollars would be pumped into Florida’s economy. These provisions would hold back that economic growth, hurting American businesses in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Orlando and Miami.

“The CJS bill would shut down U.S. exports to Cuba in ways that will affect telecommunications firms now in negotiations to open up phone and Internet connections with the island.

“Do we want Cubans to be better connected to the outside world? I thought the answer to that question was a huge, bipartisan yes. 

“The ugly truth is that the provisions in these two bills are hiding their real intent to shut down the growing connections between Cuba and U.S. citizens and U.S. companies. The hardliners pushing these policies falsely claim that the provisions only deal with confiscated property and limits on benefits to the Cuban state and military. But the reality is that they want to stop the progress towards normal relations with Cuba and turn the clock backwards.

“The real question is: Do we want to extend and expand our commerce and communications with the Cuban people as President Obama is attempting to do?  Or does Congress want to shut it all down? The sponsors of the provisions inside the CJS and THUD appropriations bills clearly want to shut it all down.

“An appropriations bill is no place to conduct foreign policy, and we all know how this movie ends – with a veto showdown.

“Sooner or later all these restrictions are going to either be negotiated out of the bills or into more flexible language, or they will land on President's desk and face a veto.

“I urge my colleagues to oppose this rule and the underlying appropriations legislation, and I yield back the balance of my time.” 

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