Having this archaic policy that wouldnt allow cuba to join the hemispheric unity. Now that we will i think when he goes to this conference, next summit in panama, hell be welcomed. Because now well be able to unify this entire hemisphere. You may think its a small island but the significance of being able to bring in 11 Million People and make them like the rest of the people in this hemisphere, when you think about it, as we go out and compete against the world we have every type of agriculture that there is in the world, every single thing is grown in this hemisphere. We have more ability for producing electrons than any other hemisphere in the world. All of the solar, all of the wind all of the hydro all of the oil. I mean you name it. Every possibility of producing energy exists. If we could just unify this whole hemisphere and this is what these president s are all talking about is the hemispheric energy policy. We wouldnt need a drop of oil from any other part of the world. We could send electrons all around the hemisphere. We have no wars in this hemisphere between countries. We speak the entire hemisphere can speak in three languages, portugese, english, and spanish. A Little French from quebec and all the rest is in our languages. So the opportunity to unify and by bringing cuba into the tent and opening up all of these new i think tourism is in my district the most asked question. Every time people hear about me going to cuba, how can i go . Why cant i go . I have very close professional friends saying if i go illegally will i get caught . I said, probably not. Heres how you do it. I think the battle and id love to hear my colleagues, the battle is going to be in congress because you have a really small minority of interests, cuban americans who, by the way can go to cuba without a license. Any cuban american can. Cuban american members of congress can go. You cant. They can send money to their relatives there. You cant. Their relatives in cuba can now invest. We cant. So there is almost theres almost an interest there that i hope some of you in the press will look into about conflict of interest with members of the house and senate who want to restrict others from getting the privileges that they now have. But its going to be a fight. As they say, i think that the conservative viewpoint is going to be a the politics is going to be motivated by the agriculture interests who like the governor pointed out have already made contact and their states and their ag interests, their business interests already know what the opportunities are and theyll have to pressure their Congress Members and senators to follow through on being able to implement this incredible announcement of the president. So i i mean, you please, the point there that well gain market share that weve lost actually thats gone down because of fewer the financial hurdles that our countrys had, fewer hurdles for other countries, and cubas shortage of hard currency and perception that the u. S. Policy will not change, so now those days are over. The currency will be an issue. But i think well make it. So my advice or recommendation is that were going to internally start a new cuba working group. We have that when missouri congresswoman joann emerson, we had a working group an equal number of democrats and republicans. We had a lot of policy. It was very difficult to move it. Because leadership from the cuban americans in congress were adamantly opposed to doing anything. Were in key positions and could use procedural those things will still be possible but you can overcome them by the will of the people and politics of america. This is grass roots politics. The American People want to go to cuba. Business people want to do business in cuba. They have to voice that, use their political voices to show those members of congress that indeed we ought to follow through in legislating accordingly. Thank you very much for and this ag coalition is absolutely essential to making the policy work. More essential than any other thing. That and the Financial Institution that have an interest in opening up credit and business exchanges and being able to use credit cards in cuba and things like that are going to be the two most motivating forces to be able to change american policy at the congressional level. So congratulations on this new year. And theres exciting new assignment that i think is going to make it work well to serve both in congress and report it very well in the press. Thank you. Our next speaker is representative kevin cramer from north dakota. Mr. Cramer, we know you here you are. Thank you very much. We are absolutely honored by your presence today, sir and very much looking forward to your message to share with the usacc. Thank you. Thank you very much. Well, as a means of introduction, let me start out by saying this is a big week for me and at this moment i can its doubled in important importance as i look out among you. The keystone xl pipeline its a big deal. Kind of fun i have to admit. A little easier for me to talk about things like pipelines given my background as a former Energy Regulator. But this is a little different. Its also a big week because my friend rodney davis is here as well who represents the Congressional District in illinois that is home to the Illinois State university, the Football Team thats going to lose to north Dakota State University saturday in the championship game. Thats another matter all together. Its a big week. You know, i dont really know, frankly, how i ended up here. But i suspect it has something to do with fact that among the initial choir, the initial pushback from republican members of congress to the president s idea, one voice out of north dakota said, i dont know. It doesnt seem that dumb to me. And so here i am. And actually, prior to being an Energy Regulator in north dakota i did have the depreat honor of serving eight years in the cabinet of governor ed shaffer. I was his tourism director for 12 years. Dont snicker. It was the least visited state in the country. But today i walk around washington without a coat on. [laughter] i spent the second term as eds director of Economic Development in finance and became very close. Now, when ed told me he was moving me over, we should call him secretary here, shouldnt we . Secretary of agriculture in this town. From tourism to Economic Development and finance i said, governor, what i know about finance you could tap into a small thumb ble. He said, i understand that. Thank you very much for your confidence. But he said, we dont need a banker. We need a marketer. We need someone who understands markets. Someone who understands how to sell a product, sell a place, sell a state, sell an idea. And so that was my training before becoming a regulator. The reality is that while north dakota is represented in this room and certainly represented by your coalition and congratulations on forming it. It is a fantastic idea. As you know, this town moves based on good information that is presented to members of congress and then more importantly strong persuasion from the people that elect members of congress. And you all know how to do that with the coalition. Ive got some advice as well i think sam sums it up quite nicely. But, frankly, what moves me and what motivates me and really what caused me to come out early with support for the idea of trading with our neighbors 90 miles off our coast and normalizing relations to the degree ta we that we should and can. Well talk about that in a little bit. Not so much about the peas and lent ils and beans and corn and wheat and potatoes and products we grow in north dakota. I understand that theyre interested in other products like rice and things that arent grown in north dakota. But thats good. Thats a great outcome. We have the opportunity, you know, in the early window and the early first half of the 2000 decade in north dakota to sell about 30 million worth worth of peas and durham and spring wheat. So we know a bit about it. Were excited for the opportunities. But the real excitement to me is the opportunity to influence an oppressed country for liberty, the opportunity to spread democracy. The opportunity to do what farmers do naturally and that is feed hungry people. If the result of spreading democracy is we sell more of our commodities to a hungry world, thats awesome. Thats awesome. Thats trade ought to be part of diplomacy. Trade ought to be part of democracy spreading trade out to be a part of influence and persuasion. Thats what trade is. The economics are the other benefits. I dont apologize for them. Im grateful for them. So thats what drives me. The fact, you know, i think there are some things that tend to be overstated on all sides of all issues. Weve had a week of overstating issues on all sides. Is cuba a big market compared to china . No. But it is 11 Million People. Right . They are 90 miles away right . They are people that are already inclined to want to be like us to the point that some want to be us. Thats pretty cool. We have a running head start. Geographically intellectually, culturally. We have an opportunity that should not be squandered to spread liberty spread democracy, and to sell products. We have to look out for some things for sure. Nobody is naive enough to think were just going to open it wide open and somehow be the only beneficiary. I mean, north dakota also grows sugar beets. We are very familiar with the importance of fair free trade in our hemisphere and the importance of what happens when its not adhered to by our partners. So we need to keep all the protections in place as well. Thats why i think, and this is a heavy lift, but thats why i think incrementally we can make the case to our colleagues based on the spread of democracy, based on the Economic Opportunities for our farmers as well as others, manufacturers, intellectual developers, you know, who knows . Imagine the infrastructure opportunities that maybe, you know water pumpers in north dakota and texas might have in a place like cuba as they rebuild and build to meet the demands of the current century as opposed to the last one. There is no end to those opportunities in my view. We still have we have to have a relationship for that to happen. We can do it with a short leash and test it incrementally. We can open it up little by little and provide assurances to those colleagues of ours in both the house and the senate that might not be inclined to go all in. I get it. But ive learned in my short time in congress that persuasion does not happen quickly. Almost nothing happens quickly. Almost nothing happens. But thats another issue all together. My advice besides congratulating and encouraging you is to go into this coalition of your group, the coalition of congressional supporters, go into it with us arm and arm with good advice, back and forth, to provide political encouragement and cover when necessary. Thats a real part of our work. And then to of course help us be persuaded and be persuaders. And you can do that providing good information and of course grass roots backing, back home. Thank you for the opportunity. Its an honor to be with you and certainly to be with my colleagues in congress. Thank you. Congressman cramer reminded me of actually a compelling point. Both the u. S. And cuba are members of the world trade organization. Cuba offers most favored nation status to every other w. T. O. Member so even if we do begin to loosen restrictions, its actually going to take our ability to get permanent normal trade relations, normalizing the trade relationship to get us on equal footing. At the moment every other w. T. O. Member is getting preferential access to that market. Thank you very much, congressman cramer. At this point i would like to welcome congressman rodney davis from illinois. Thank you. [applause] thank you. Im glad my colleague from north dakota is still here today. I have to differ with his opinion on whats going to happen at the f. C. S. National championship game this year. What he didnt tell you is hes actually going to provide me with bison jerky once my Illinois State hits north dakota license. Thank you, kevin. It is an honor to be here but im here because of a prism of experiences i had because i had a chance to travel to cuba. In 2005 as a staffer for another member of congress, i went to cuba. I saw the conditions that the cuban people live in. Many who opposed lifting the embargo agree with me that i, along with them, dont want to see the castro regime continue. I want to see communism lifted in cuba so the cuban people can experience the same freedoms we experience here in the United States of america. We just differ on how to go about doing that. And from my personal experience from an agricultural state like illinois, i believe that opening more trade with Agricultural Products, hopefully most of them from illinois, and then the rest of the states like north dakota, and others, i believe increasing the trade that we already have with the cuban nation is going to allow america to invest in a cuban economy that is going to free the cuban citizens from the conditions that they live under now. The district i represent in Central Illinois has a very rich tradition in agriculture from agricultural manufacturers Food Processors like kraft in champaign or our Farm Progress in decatur, illinois, agriculture makes my districts economy run. Ive also seen first hand how manufacturing jobs in my district are supported through trade. Im somebody who has long before the president announced his prospective changes in policy to cuba has advocated for more normalized trade relations with the cuban people. So his actions didnt get me here today to talk about this issue and, frankly, i am not somebody who supports trading prisoners in regards to further ideas. While i am ectatic that mr. Gross is home, i am not ectatic that this administration decided to release others to make that happen. Frankly, i think that could encourage more americans being used as collateral and i do not think that was a good idea. Long before that happened, i think the cuban people will only experience freedom through american investment. American investment is what we have an opportunity to put forth. Illinois Agricultural Products are essential to this trade and these opportunities. Illinois is the number one producer of soybeans. Illinois is number two to my birth place iowa, in corn production. Illinois farmers are responsible for 8. 3 billion in total ag exports. In my state, my district relize upon trade relations to actually sell our products and create our jobs. And feed the rest of the world. But we cant compete with competitors like brazil argentina, and europe under the current policy conditions. Thats why im standing here today to hopefully see those remedied. By improving trade relations and bringing cuba a nawaz the Global Economy and lifpblging them again to the American Economy cuban citizens will have the opportunities that i saw first hand they need. After 54 years, i think a new approach is needed. Thats why i stand here in favor of increasing trade relations with our cuban friends, our cuban citizens, and our friends. By releasing the cuban people from isolation and opening their country to our ideas and our products, the castro regime will no longer be able to use the United States as a scapegoat for the failed policies of communism. I thank everyone for being here today. I appreciate your support for this idea. And i wish everyone success in the future in opening up opportunities for all americans to help the cuban citizens through trade. Thank you. Thank you for your bold leadership, your words of wisdom. Next we will hear from a longtime supporter of u. S. Agriculture as it relates to cuba. Senator rand, we know youre not here just for today. Youre here for a history of leadership on this issue. And we welcome your leadership and were looking forward to hearing what you have to say. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you all very much for the chance to be here and to visit just briefly about this issue. I was somewhat offended by your emphasis on the words long time but it actually is the year 2000 so nearly 15 years ago we offered a successful amendment on the house floor carving out an exception for food medicine, and Agricultural Commodities from the embargo. It was a very contentious circumstance with lots of discouragement by some in charge from offering that amendment. And i remember the outcome of that vote. 301 to 116. 301 house members 116 to 116 house members said its time for change in the policies with our countrys relationship to cuba. A majority of democrats and a majority of republicans both said that day that its time to do something different. In kansas, and i said this on the house floor previously, in kansas, well try something once and we dont always expect it to be successful the first time. We might try the second time. Maybe even a third time. But i would tell you that cansans have enough common sense and are smart enough to know that after trying something for 54 years you ought to try something different. And if the goal of u. S. Policy is to change the nature of cuban citizens and the relationship with their government, what weve been doing has not worked. And its not surprising it hasnt worked because its a unilateral sanction. When we dont sell agriculture commodities, manufactured goods, when we dont trade with cuba, its not that theyre not getting agriculture commodities or manufactured goods. Its just that theyre buying them from someone else. Kansans and americans are smart enough to know when youre there by yourself all youre doing is harming yourself. Of course in a state like ours and we can go through the litany of agriculture commodities that we produce, the list is long but when wheat, for example, is not sold to cuba, its not that theyre not buying wheat. Its that theyre being purchased from some other place, our competitors. Generally canada, european union. We are a natural supplier of agriculture commodities to cuba. The cost of transportation from europe to cuba is about 25 a ton. The cost from a port in the United States is 6 or 7 a ton. There is a natural opportunity for us and we ought to take advan