OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Departments of Commerce, Justice, and State, the Judiciary, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2005

Date: July 7, 2004
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs Immigration Family


DEPARTMENTS OF COMMERCE, JUSTICE, AND STATE, THE JUDICIARY, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2005 -- (House of Representatives - July 07, 2004)

The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to House Resolution 701 and rule XVIII, the Chair declares the House in the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union for the further consideration of the bill, H.R. 4754.

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Ms. WATERS. Mr. Chairman, I thank the gentleman from Arizona [Mr. FLAKE] for the time.

I rise to support the Flake amendment to prohibit the use of funds in this bill to enforce the Commerce Department's recently-announced anti-family restrictions on sending gifts to Cuba.

These restrictions are part of an extensive set of new Bush administration rules that punish Cuban-Americans who have families in Cuba. These regulations include limiting family visits to Cuba by Cuban-Americans to once every three years and further restricting the ability of Cuban-Americans to send money to their families in Cuba.

The Commerce Department's new regulations would make it illegal for Cuban-Americans to send clothing, seeds, soap, personal hygiene products and veterinary medicines to their families in Cuba. Other gifts would be limited to one gift parcel per month per household in Cuba. Gifts could be sent to parents and children, but not to aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews or cousins.

What conceivable rationale could there be for this cruel, misguided assault on Cuban-American families? Is there anyone who truly believes that we are achieving anything productive by keeping Cuban-Americans from helping their family members who remain in Cuba? How dare this administration tell American citizens they can't send clothes, toilet paper or toothpaste to the families they love!

I urge my colleagues to protect the right of Cuban-Americans to assist their families. Let's help these families, not punish them. Support the Flake amendment.

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