Tom Latham: “I just wanted to emphasize the importance of the trade discussion that has been going on here. The gentleman from…”

“I just wanted to emphasize the importance of the trade discussion that has been going on here. The gentleman from Florida (Mr. Boyd) brought up in his statement the idea and the concern that we have as far as opening up trade around the world and relating that to the farm bill. He is correct in exactly that we anticipated some cooperation with the administration when we passed the Freedom to Farm to open up markets. The reality is just the opposite, however. In the past 80 years, there have been 120 sanctions put on other countries. Sanctions is a nice word for an embargo. The fact of the matter is over half of those embargoes have been put on in this last administration. So while we have fought to open up markets, to make sales available to our farmers overseas, it has flown in the face of the administration's policy of continuing and expanding the number of sanctions. I will say again, over half of the sanctions in the last 80 years have been put on in the last 7 years, and it is very, very unfortunate. That is why opening up trade today for Cuba, for North Korea, for Sudan, for Iran, Libya, is so very, very important to change the dynamics of the whole debate here.”