Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2004

TRANSPORTATION, TREASURY, AND INDEPENDENT AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2004

Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I strongly support the amendment of my colleague from North Dakota, Senator Dorgan, and I ask unanimous consent to be listed as a cosponsor.

The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

Mr. DURBIN. Senator Dorgan's amendment prohibits the implementation of travel restrictions on Americans who wish to visit Cuba.

We all agree on the goal of peaceful change toward democracy and a free market economy in Cuba. I'd like to ask my colleagues how restricting the ability of Americans to travel to Cuba advances that goal?

My mother was an immigrant from Lithuania, and as a Member of Congress I traveled to Lithuania when it was still under Communist domination. The Communist government kept me out for days, but eventually even they let me into the country.

During the cold war, Americans were able to travel to Soviet bloc countries, and if they were kept out, it was by the Communists, not by their own Government.

I believe that interaction between Americans and ordinary Cubans can only advance change in Cuba.

The more Americans go to Cuba, the more ordinary Cubans will interact with them. I believe Castro has more to fear from American tourists transmitting American ideas to Cubans than from our sanctions regime. An army of tourists could be the most effective force for change we could muster.

In fact, our sanctions policy has done more to motivate ordinary Cubans to rally around their leader than it has to weaken the Castro regime. Restricting the rights of Americans to travel to Cuba undercuts our shared goal of bringing change to Cuba.

I support Senator Dorgan's amendment and urge my colleagues to support it as well.