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

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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Mr. MARIO DIAZ-BALART of Florida. Mr. Chairman, I just heard that the dissidents in Cuba do not support the sanctions. That is just not correct. As a matter of fact, yesterday, Mr. Antunes, a black Cuban leader who has been in prison since he was 16 years old, imprisoned by that white Spanish son, and grandchildren of Spanish people, Spanish white people who have imprisoned mostly blacks, and again the blacks in prison like Dr. Biscet, like Mr. Antunes, all support these sanctions.

Let me just tell Members who do not support the sanctions: Castro himself does not support sanctions, he supports this amendment as a matter of fact. But the primary reason we have heard today for this amendment, and we have heard it time and time again, is that the Cuban Americans are going to suffer. Those of us who represent the Cuban Americans do not know. The Cuban Americans, you see, according to this amendment, do not know what is right for them. No, those people, we have heard that before, those people do not know what is right for them. So, therefore, this amendment sponsored by people from Arizona and Massachusetts, very far-away places, this amendment knows what is best for that group of Hispanics and their families.

There are two words for what this amendment is, Mr. Chairman, two words for an amendment that says those people, those Hispanics do not know what is right for them, so this amendment has to tell them what is right, two words, "patronizing" and "racist"; you see, because the Cuban American people do know, Mr. Chairman, what is right for themselves and their families. The Cuban American people do know what is the right thing to do, which is why they do not support this amendment. They overwhelmingly support the President's smart, well-thought-out, responsible measures.

Let us oppose this amendment that again tries to tell that group of Hispanics what is right for them, what is right for Cuban Americans. We who represent the Cuban Americans can tell you, they know what is right for them and their families, and they will tell Members to vote "no" on this amendment.