Rashida Tlaib: “I would thank Chairmen Quigley, Meeks, and McGovern and their staffs for working with me on this critical amendment and…”

“I would thank Chairmen Quigley, Meeks, and McGovern and their staffs for working with me on this critical amendment and for their leadership throughout this process. I also thank the incredible Congresswoman Lee for joining me here today to speak in support of this critical policy change, and, of course, Congressman Crawford who submitted this change as a Republican- led bipartisan amendment to the FSGG appropriations bill in 2017 and has been a great advocate on this issue over the years. This is an amendment that is critical, and it builds on more than a decade of efforts by bipartisan Members of the House and Senate and the farm industry leaders across the country. As Cubans face one of the most painful crises in three decades, forcing tens of thousands of Cubans to spend long hours each day waiting in lines in hopes of finding food, our amendment would provide temporary relief to them as well as U.S. farm exporters by suspending enforcement for 1 year of the prohibition and extending credit to Cuban food buyers. This amendment makes sense for two reasons. First, the Cuban people are contending with significant food shortages, as I mentioned. By allowing Cuban importers to buy U.S. food products on credit, we can help ease the suffering of everyday Cubans and build good will between our peoples. Simply put, it is the most humane thing we can do right now and the right thing to do.…”