Rep. Jerry Moran won a small but substantial victory Wednesday when the House agriculture committee approved legislation further opening trade with Cuba. The legislation would benefit Kansas producers, who could see millions in new export revenues as a result of the increased trade with Cuba.
“Today’s vote is a step in the right direction and a victory for America’s farmers and ranchers. Cuba must import nearly eighty-five percent of its food and current U.S. trade policies hurt American farmers and ranchers by making it more expensive for Cuba to purchase U.S. agriculture products. Instead of buying U.S. commodities, current policy encourages Cuba to buy its food from countries such as Vietnam and China. I have long fought for common sense changes to our trade policy with Cuba in order to open up markets only 90 miles away. This legislation will standardize our trade policies, increase export sales and create thousands of American jobs without increasing the deficit,” said Moran.
The agreement must still earn approval from both the House and the Senate but Wednesday’s committee approval is a small but important victory for Moran, who is heavily courting the state’s agriculture industry in his bid for the Senate. He has already won the endorsement of Kansas Farm Bureau and Wednesday’s announcement garnered praise from several other commodity groups, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and other agriculture interest organizations.
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