Calvin Dooley: “I respect the sincerity and passion of the gentleman's opposition to this amendment, but I think at times the rhetoric…”

“I respect the sincerity and passion of the gentleman's opposition to this amendment, but I think at times the rhetoric has probably gone beyond the issues that are at hand here. This amendment, what we are talking about really relates solely to the sale of food and medicine from the United States to Cuba. Currently we allow for the sale of food and medicine to Cuba, but we require that it be paid for in cash, or the U.S. interest that is selling the food and medicine to Cuba would have to secure financing from a third party country. All this amendment does is says that a sale of U.S. food and medicine to Cuba can now be financed by a private institution in the United States. That is what this debate is all about. It is about how we can facilitate the sale of U.S. agricultural products that are important to provide the sustenance to a lot of families in Cuba. It is about how can we facilitate the sale of U.S. drugs to a lot of the families in Cuba by providing an element of private financing.”