WASHINGTON -
Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, introduced a bipartisan bill to help support and improve the export of American agricultural commodities to Cuba. U.S. Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), John Boozman (R-Ark.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) joined Udall to introduce the legislation.
The number one barrier that farmers and agricultural exporters in New Mexico and across the country have faced when trying to export to Cuba is a prohibition against providing lines of credit. Current law prohibits any kind of financing of exports to Cuba and requires cash payment up front, essentially preventing farmers and ranchers from being able to ship their products to Cuba. Foreign competitors face no such restrictions when seeking to sell into the Cuban market. Udall's bill, the Agricultural Export Expansion Act, would change a provision in current law, lift the ban on private banks and companies offering credit for agricultural exports to Cuba, and help level the playing field for U.S. farmers and exporters.
"New Mexicans view Cuba as a valuable market for beef, cheese, Navajo corn and other products. Offering lines of credit for agricultural exports will help develop business and cultural ties between our nations, and allow agricultural producers in New Mexico to expand into new markets and boost local economic growth," Udall said. "I look forward to continuing to work to help the United States to finally develop a 21st century relationship with Cuba that builds ties between our countries and creates new opportunities for Americans while bringing openness and freedom to Cubans."
Udall is a longtime advocate for normalizing diplomatic relations with Cuba and supports legislation permitting U.S. citizens to freely travel to Cuba, efforts to open the Internet, and an end to the embargo blocking U.S. trade with Cuba. In November, Udall and Flake traveled to Cuba, where they met with Cuban officials as well as religious and business leaders to discuss the impacts of the embargo and travel restrictions on American and Cuban families.
