Cuba
Policy Foundation Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
Tuesday, October 10, 2002 Contact: Brian
Alexander (202) 321-CUBA (2822)
AT LEAST 104 U.S. CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS, 66 SENATE SEATS
REPRESENTED AT HAVANA TRADE EXPO
SEPTEMBER EVENT REPRESENTS BIPARTISAN NATIONAL INTEREST IN
TRADE WITH CUBA
Washington, D.C., October 10, 2002 – A Cuba
Policy Foundation preliminary analysis of companies in attendance at the U.S.
agricultural trade exposition, held in Havana, Cuba, September 26-30, reveals
that companies from at least 104 U.S. Congressional districts were
present. The total states with
companies that participated were 33, yielding 66 Senators whose states had
companies present. The number of
Republican Congressional Districts represented by at least one company was no
fewer than 49, and no fewer than 55 Democratic districts. 29 Republican Senate seats were represented,
along with 37 Democratic Senate seats.
(See charts below.)
Notably, companies from the districts of key
Republican embargo supporters from south Florida, such as Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen,
and Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, were present at the event. The state of Florida was the most widely
represented at the trade exposition, with 33 of the 288 companies bearing
Florida addresses, according to the events organizers.
According to the events organizers, at least 700
American business people attended the agricultural exposition, with 288 U.S.
companies participating. The total
projected sales of U.S. farm and food products to Cuba resulting from the
exposition are estimated to be at least $89 million. This figure brings the total purchases by Cuba of American food
and agricultural products in 2002 to over $200 million dollars. American food sales to Cuba were made legal
in an October 2000, U.S. law.
It is widely speculated that sales of U.S.
products to Cuba will increase political pressures in the United States for
liberalizing the four decades-old U.S. embargo of Cuba. According to Brian Alexander, executive
director of Cuba Policy Foundation, who attended the Havana exposition, “Americans
see a clear connection between changing U.S. policy and advancing U.S.
interests in Cuba. For example, ending
the U.S. travel ban would increase demand for American goods in Cuba, so it was
no surprise to hear countless Americans at the trade exposition say they would
like the travel ban to end in order to increase their potential sales to
Cuba.” He added, “When you have
a policy that has failed to produce political and economic reform in Cuba, and
is failing the United States, it is clear that we should listen to the average
American and begin to engage Cuba.”
Lifting the travel ban is widely
viewed as the fastest way to expand the Cuban market for U.S. foods and farm
products. If the travel ban were
lifted, Cuba Policy Foundation estimates that a minimum of 500,000 Americans
would travel to Cuba in the first year, with over 1.4 million annual American
visitors to Cuba by the fifth year. This large
presence of Americans in Cuba would dramatically increase the demand and
potential market for American brands and U.S. quality food products. Cuba Policy Foundation estimates the total
potential of U.S. agricultural sales to Cuba to be $1.2 billion annually, were
the embargo completely lifted.
In addition
to gains for America’s agribusinesses, ending the travel ban would also yield
significant gains to the U.S. travel economy.
According to a University of Colorado Study, commissioned by Cuba Policy
Foundation, lifting travel restrictions could create as much as $522.6 million
in revenues for the American travel sector in the first year. In the fifth year after ending the travel
ban, America could see over $1.69 billion in revenue and the creation of over
12,000 U.S. jobs. The United States’
beleaguered airlines and cruise operators would be the largest benefactors of
Cuba-related growth in the American travel sector.
For more information, contact Cuba Policy
Foundation.
###
CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS REPRESENTED WITH COMPANIES
PRESENT IN HAVANA, CUBA, AT AGRICULTURAL TRADE EXPOSITION, SEPTEMBER 2002
Compiled by Brian Alexander, Cuba
Policy Foundation Contact: [(202)
321-CUBA (2822)]
October 7, 2002
|
Acevedo-Vilá,
Aníbal (D-PR) |
Goodlatte,
Bob (R-VA) |
Miller,
Jeff (R-FL) |
|
Ackerman,
Gary L. (D-NY) |
Graves,
Sam (R-MO) |
Ortiz,
Solomon P. (D-TX) |
|
Allen,
Thomas H. (D-ME) |
Green,
Mark (R-WI) |
Paul,
Ron (R-TX) |
|
Baldacci,
John Elias (D-ME) |
Gutierrez,
Luis V. (D-IL) |
Peterson,
Collin C. (D-MN) |
|
Berry,
Marion (D-AR) |
Gutknecht,
Gil (R-MN) |
Phelps,
David D. (D-IL) |
|
Bishop,
Sanford D., Jr. (D-GA) |
Hastings,
Alcee L. (D-FL) |
Pickering,
Charles, Jr. (R-MS) |
|
Blagojevich,
Rod R. (D-IL) |
Hastings,
Doc (R-WA) |
Pombo,
Richard W. (R-CA) |
|
Boozman,
John (R-AR) |
Hilliard,
Earl F. (D-AL) |
Pomeroy,
Earl (D-ND) |
|
Boswell,
Leonard L. (D-IA) |
Holden,
Tim (D-PA) |
Price,
David (D-NC) |
|
Boyd,
Allen (D-FL) |
Houghton,
Amo (R-NY) |
Putnam,
Adam H. (R-FL) |
|
Brady,
Kevin (D-PA) |
Hyde,
Henry J. (R-IL) |
Radanovich,
George (R-CA) |
|
Brown,
Corrine (D-FL) |
Inslee,
Jay (D-WA) |
Ramstad,
Jim (R-MN) |
|
Burton,
Dan (R-IN) |
Isakson,
Johnny (R-GA) |
Reynolds,
Thomas M. (R-NY) |
|
Calvert,
Ken (R-CA) |
Jackson,
Jesse L., Jr. (D-IL) |
Rogers,
Mike (R-MI) |
|
Capuano,
Michael E. (D-MA) |
Jackson-Lee,
Sheila (D-TX) |
Ros-Lehtinen,
Ileana (R-FL) |
|
Cardin,
Benjamin L. (D-MD) |
Jefferson,
William J. (D-LA) |
Rothman,
Steven R. (D-NJ) |
|
Chabot,
Steve (R-OH) |
John,
Christopher (D-LA) |
Roybal-Allard,
Lucille (D-CA) |
|
Collins,
Mac (R-GA) |
Johnson,
Nancy L. (R-CT) |
Scott,
Robert C. (D-VA) |
|
Cooksey,
John (R-LA) |
Johnson,
Timothy V. (R-IL) |
Shaw,
E. Clay, Jr. (R-FL) |
|
Crane,
Philip M. (R-IL) |
Kilpatrick,
Carolyn C. (D-MI) |
Shays,
Christopher (R-CT) |
|
Crenshaw,
Ander (R-FL) |
Kind,
Ron (D-WI) |
Shimkus,
John (R-IL) |
|
Davis,
Danny K. (D-IL) |
Kingston,
Jack (R-GA) |
Shows,
Ronnie (D-MS) |
|
Davis,
Jim (D-FL) |
Kirk,
Mark Steven (R-IL) |
Slaughter,
Louise (D-NY) |
|
Davis,
Susan A. (D-CA) |
Latham,
Tom (R-IA) |
Smith,
Adam (D-WA) |
|
DeGette,
Diana (D-CO) |
Lewis,
John (D-GA) |
Sweeney,
John E. (R-NY) |
|
Delahunt,
William D. (D-MA) |
Lewis,
Ron (R-KY) |
Tauzin,
W.J. (Billy) (R-LA) |
|
Deutsch,
Peter (D-FL) |
Linder,
John (R-GA) |
Taylor,
Charles H. (R-NC) |
|
Diaz-Balart,
Lincoln (R-FL) |
Lucas,
Ken (D-KY) |
Taylor,
Gene (D-MS) |
|
Dogget,
Lloyd (D-TX) |
Lynch,
Stephen F. (D-MA) |
Terry,
Lee (R-NE) |
|
Doolittle,
John T. (R-CA) |
Maloney,
Carolyn B. (D-NY) |
Thompson,
Mike (D-CA) |
|
Ehrlich,
Robert L., Jr. (R-MD) |
McCollum,
Betty (D-MN) |
Thornberry,
Mac (R-TX) |
|
Etheridge,
Bob (D-NC) |
McIntyre,
Mike (D-NC) |
Vitter,
David (R-LA) |
|
Fletcher,
Ernie (R-KY) |
McKinney,
Cynthia A. (D-GA) |
Wexler,
Robert (D-FL) |
|
Ganske,
Greg (R-IA) |
Meek,
Carrie P. (D-17) |
Wolf,
Frank R. (R-VA) |
|
Gilchrest,
Wayne T. (R-MD) |
Menendez,
Robert (D-NJ) |
|
SENATE SEATS REPRESENTED WITH COMPANIES PRESENT IN
HAVANA, CUBA, AT U.S. AGRICULTURAL TRADE EXHIBITION, SEPTEMBER 2002
Alabama[1]:
Ted Stevens (R); Frank Murkowski
(R)
Arkansas: Tim Hutchinson (R); Blanche Lambert Lincoln (D)
California: Dianne Feinstein (D); Barbara Boxer (D)
Colorado: Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R); Wayne Allard (R)
Connecticut: Christopher J. Dodd (D); Joseph I. Lieberman (D)
Florida: Bob Graham (D); Bill Nelson (D)
Georgia: Max Cleland (D); Zell Miller (D)
Ilinois: Richard J. Durbin (D); Peter G. Fitzgerald (R)
Indiana: Richard
G. Lugar (R); Evan
Bayh (R)
Iowa: Charles E. Grassley
(R); Tom Harkin (D)
Kentucky: Mitch McConnell (R); Jim Bunning (R)
Louisiana: John B. Breaux (D); Mary L. Landrieu (D)
Maine: Olympia J. Snowe (R); Susan M. Collins (R)
Maryland: Paul S. Sarbanes (D); Barbara A. Mikulski (D)
Massachusetts: Edward M. Kennedy (D); John F. Kerry (D)
Michigan: Carl Levin (D); Debbie
Stabenow (D)
Minnesota: Paul Wellstone (DFL); Mark Dayton (DFL)
Mississippi: Thad Cochran (R); Trent Lott (R)
Missouri: Christopher “Kit” Bond (R); Jean Carnahan (D)
Nebraska: Chuck Hagel (R); Ben Nelson (D)
New Jersey: Robert G. Torricelli (D); Jon R. Corzine (D)
New York: Charles E. Schumer (D); Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)
North Carolina: Jesse Helms (R); John Edwards (D)
North Dakota: Kent Conrad (D); Byron L. Dorgan
(D)
Ohio: Mike DeWine (R); George V. Voinovich
(R)
Oklahoma: Don Nickles (R); James M. Inhofe
(R)
Oregon: Ron Wyden (D); Gordon H. Smith
(R)
Pennsylvania: Arlen Specter (R); Rick Santorum (R)
South Dakota: Tom Daschle (D); Tim Johnson (D)
Texas: Phil Gramm (R); Kay Bailey
Hutchison (R)
Virginia: John Warner (R); George Allen (R)
Washington: Patty Murray (D); Maria Cantwell (D)
Wisconsin: Herb Kohl (D); Russell D.
Feingold (D)
###