Arkansas News Bureau
LITTLE ROCK — Some members of Arkansas’ congressional delegation on Monday welcomed President Obama’s decision to ease travel and money transfers as a step toward a possible new relationship that could benefit Arkansas.
The White House announced Obama would allow Americans to make unlimited trips and money transfers to family members in Cuba and ease other restrictions to usher in a new era of openness toward the island nation ruled by communists for 50 years.
U.S. Rep. Vic Snyder, D-Little Rock, said the move was “just a baby step,” but one that was “clearly a step in the right direction.”
“There is so much more we can do that would be helpful both to the Cuban people and American national security,” Snyder said. “We need to have a robust economic relationship and we need to eliminate the restraints on Americans traveling to Cuba. Arkansas raises the products that Cubans want to buy — poultry, rice, soybeans. Cuba’s very interested in quality agricultural products from the United States.”
U.S. Rep. Marion Berry, D-Gillett, said 50 years of U.S. policy toward Cuba have proven that unilateral sanctions are not effective.
Lifting travel restrictions signaled the beginning of groundwork toward long-term diplomacy and increased trade, Berry said.
“In this ailing economy, one of the first things we can do to provide some relief for our farmers and generate increased revenue for our country would be to lift the trade barriers between the U.S. and Cuba,” he said.
Administration officials said Obama is keeping the decades-old U.S. trade embargo, arguing that policy provides leverage to pressure the Castro regime to free all political prisoners as one step toward normalized relations with the U.S.
U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., said she hoped Monday’s announcement would be followed by major steps toward eventually removing the Cuban embargo all together and normalizing relations with Cuba.
“The long-term benefits of engagement with Cuba offer better living conditions for the Cuban people, opportunities for Democratic influences inside Cuba and economic benefits to Americans,” Lincoln said. “Lifting the Cuban embargo would also be an economic stimulus in itself to the thousands of companies currently cut off from trade with Cuba.”
Rep. John Boozman, R-Rogers, said that as a co-sponsor of the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act in the House he supported allowing all Americans the ability to travel to Cuba.
