Local Congresswoman Cheri Bustos and Sen. Dick Durbin have returned from a historic trip to Cuba with President Barack Obama and around 20 other members of Congress.
Bustos and Durbin both are advocating lifting the 55 year old embargo with the island nation, saying that among other things it would present opportunities for exporters of agriculture and ag equipment in Illinois.
Bustos echoes an American businessman on the trip’s comments, saying that every day the embargo remains is a day the U.S. is losing out.
“There was a time not too long along where about 50 percent of the commodities that were imported to Cuba were from the United States,” Bustos says. “Now we’re down to 10 percent. It’s about a $2 billion a year market and there’s absolutely no reason that we should not be dominating the market.”
She says country’s like Argentina and Brazil have taken the U.S.’ place in dominating Cuban Ag markets.
Sen. Durbin says he believes the congressional action needed to end the embargo could happen if Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell would give the issue two to three days on the Senate floor.
“It’s at the expense of our producers and at the expense of the Cuban people,” Durbin says. “They’re just not getting the best products on earth because of this embargo.”
Bustos and Durbin also attended yesterday’s exhibition baseball game between the Cuban national team and the Tampa Bay Rays where Durbin says President Obama received a warm welcome.
