HOUSE WATCH-9/9/2003 (#1) (Cuba travel, BBV today)

[goobergunch]

108th Congress
1st Session
Tuesday, September 9, 2003

The House convenes at 12:30 PM for morning-hour debates and at 2:00 PM for legislative business.

The House will complete consideration of H.R. 2989, the FY 2004 Transportation/Treasury Appropriations bill, with the following amendments in order:

Delahunt Amendment (15 min)-Cuba
Davis (FL) Amendment (10 min)-educational exchanges with Cuba
Flake Amendment (1 hr)-Cuba travel
Hastings (FL) Amendment (30 min)-OMB Circular A-76
Hefley Amendment 6 (10 min)-strikes 1% of bill spending
Honda Amendment (10 min)-San Jose light rail
King (IA) Amendment (10 min)-Black Box Voting
Maloney Amendment (10 min)-9/11 tax liability
Manzullo Amendment (10 min)-Buy American
McHugh Amendment (20 min)-essential air service program
Mica Amendment (10 min)-National Railroad Passenger Corporation
Moran (KS) Amendment (10 min)-essential air service program
Sanders Amendment (1 hr)-IBM's pension plan
Sessions Amendment (10 min)-Amtrak
Van Hollen Amendment (30 min)-OMB Circular A-76

The House will also complete consideration of H.R. 2765, the FY 2004 D.C. Appropriations bill.

Finally, there will be a rolled VOTE on the Ruppersberger Motion to Instruct Conferees on H.R. 1308, the Child Tax Credit bill.

After legislative business, the House will proceed to Special Orders including the Iraq Watch.

[Osolomia]

1. Davis offering amendment to preserve Cuba exchanges

September 9, 2003
Tampa Bay Business Journal

U.S. Rep Jim Davis, D-Fla., announced Tuesday that he will offer an amendment to the Transportation Treasury and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act to ensure the continuation of people-to-people educational exchanges between the United States and Cuba.

Specifically, House Resolution 2989 would prohibit federal funds from being used to implement the Department of Treasury's plan to cease offering licenses for these exchanges.

Davis, who traveled to Cuba in February, has voted to maintain the travel embargo on Cuba, but he believes Congress must seek new alternatives to the embargo and find ways for the United States and Cuba to pursue a more positive relationship to the mutual benefit of the people, a release stated.

People-to-people educational exchanges are critical to efforts to share ideas and values with the Cuban people through academic, social and cultural means, Davis stated in the release

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2003/09/08/daily10.html

[Osolomia]

2. Freedom to Travel to Cuba: Reaching critical mass in Congress

September 2003
Freedom to Travel to Cuba:
Reaching critical mass in Congress
By Anya Landau and Sarah Stephens

“Our 40-year policy of trying to isolate Cuba and choke it into submission with economic sanctions is in its entirety obsolete and counter-productive. Yet we stick to it so wooden-headedly that it has become something of a national embarrassment. The worst of it, the most indefensible, are the travel controls, which violate the rights of American citizens as well as being an ineffective policy instrument.” –Dr. Wayne Smith, senior fellow, Center for International Policy, and former chief of the U.S. Interests Section in Havana

Much more…
http://www.ciponline.org/cuba/ipr/freedomtotravel.pdf

Also
TRAVEL BAN ON CUBA TIGHTENED: WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW
http://ciponline.org/cuba/travel/travelregsmemo_2003.htm

Historic and Legal Underpinnings
http://ciponline.org/cuba/travel/travelbanhome.htm

It's Republican vs. Republican on Cuba
27 July 2002

In this week's House vote on travel, 73 Republicans helped advocates secure a 262-to-187 victory… …

Mr. Nethercutt ( R ) said, "There are people from all regions of the country who don't think Florida should set the policy, that it ought to be a national policy."
http://www.cubavsbloqueo.cu/ver_ingles/its%20republican%20US%20rep.htm

There’s a veto proof bipartisan majority vote there for the taking on Americans’ freedom to travel but even progressive* Dems let it slip through their fingers.

Why the US fears Cuba
by Seumas Milne
UK Guardian
September 08, 2003

Snip/…
Which only goes to reinforce what has long been obvious: that US hostility to Cuba does not stem from the regime's human rights failings, but its social and political successes and the challenge its unyielding independence offers to other US and western satellite states. Saddled with a siege economy and a wartime political culture for more than 40 years, Cuba has achieved first world health and education standards in a third world country, its infant mortality and literacy rates now rivalling or outstripping those of the US, its class sizes a third smaller than in Britain - while next door, in the US-backed "democracy" of Haiti, half the population is unable to read and infant mortality is over 10 times higher. Those, too, are human rights, recognised by the UN declaration and European convention. Despite the catastrophic withdrawal of Soviet support more than a decade ago and the social damage wrought by dollarisation and mass tourism, Cuba has developed biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries acknowledged by the US to be the most advanced in Latin America. Meanwhile, it has sent 50,000 doctors to work for free in 93 third world countries (currently there are 1,000 working in Venezuela's slums) and given a free university education to 1,000 third world students a year. How much of that would survive a takeover by the Miami-backed opposition?

The historical importance of Cuba's struggle for social justice and sovereignty and its creative social mobilisation will continue to echo beyond its time and place: from the self-sacrificing internationalism of Che to the crucial role played by Cuban troops in bringing an end to apartheid through the defeat of South Africa at Cuito Cuanavale in Angola in 1988. But those relying on the death of Castro (the "biological solution") to restore Cuba swiftly to its traditional proprietors may be disappointed, while the Iraq imbroglio may have checked the US neo-conservatives' enthusiasm for military intervention against a far more popular regime in Cuba. That suggests Cuba will have to expect yet more destabilisation, further complicating the defence of the social and political gains of the revolution in the years to come. The greatest contribution those genuinely concerned about human rights and democracy in Cuba can make is to help get the US and its European friends off the Cubans' backs.

http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=54&ItemID=4151

This has been going on for so long now that a flashback to the last US pResidential s/election may be enlightening:

Friday, Nov. 10, 2000
At the United Nations vote condemning the embargo for the 9th year in a row:

Snip/…

U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham said the embargo was a bilateral issue – in other words, none of the United Nations' business…. ….

But Cuban Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque told the United Nations:

"The new president of the United States should decide whether to promote a change in this outdated policy in Congress or continue being held hostage to the mean interests and delusions of revenge of an extremist, unscrupulous minority long overridden by history.

"Cuba is ready to have normal and respectful relations with the United States."

He said the next American president and the new Congress must decide whether another generation of Cubans is to live under the blockade.

"You can impose power, but never moral authority," he said. "You can be the richest, but not the most virtuous. You can lie, but you cannot deceive everyone indefinitely."

- from Reuters article, a search may find another source than
https://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2000/11/10/73500.shtml

[Judi Lynn]

3. Flake's just up.

Been waiting since Thursday! This should get INTERESTING.

[Osolomia]

5. Recorded vote on "issue of Americans' freedom" postponed to later today

but the noes won the voice vote. Go figure!

3:39 P.M. -
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Flake amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Flake demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

2:34 P.M. -
DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with one hour of debate on the Flake amendment.

2:33 P.M. -
Amendment offered by Mr. Flake.
An amendment to prohibit use of funds in the bill to enforce the ban on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens.

http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.php3

[Judi Lynn]

4. Did anyone hear the Flake Amendment debate?

Lincoln Diaz-Balart didn't let us Cuba watchers down, he blew up real good at the end. Actually quite humorous. He doesn't know it, but C-Span had his name as "Mario Diaz-Balart" during his opening remarks, and beyond, until his "exile" brother, Mario Diaz-Balart stood up. I'll bet that had someone worried, with TWO Mario Diaz-Balarts to account for!

Tom Delay was absolutely nowhere in sight this year, for the first time. I don't get it. He has been right in the middle of it every year, shouting for all he is worth, actually getting a red face, and getting very rigid physically. He hid out.

They were surprisingly quiet, however, compared to other years.

Final vote has been postponed.

David and Delahunt Amendments are still ahead.

[Osolomia]

6. What's the Delahunt amendment?

He gave a great speach on the Flake amendment already!!!

[Judi Lynn]

7. Lifting restrictions on amounts of remittances to relatives in Cuba

The lid right now is $1,200.00 annually, although Delahunt points out that the White House goes goofy here, by allowing Cuban "exiles" to take up to $10,000.00 WITH THEM, in person, in just one trip to Cuba. He also said that most people are aware that the government doesn't prosecute the Cuban-Americans on this. Before ending, he said that he hope to be able to direct Americans' awareness to the absurdity of this strange predicament the Bush administration has working on remittances to Cuban relatives.

On edit:

"Exile" Robert Menendez, from New Jersey (D, dagnabbit) claimed that lifting the controls would allow Americans with no relatives in Cuba to be able to send unlimmited amounts of money to anyone they wanted to in Cuba, and that it would be against the best interests of America. The implication here was that the money would fall into enemy hands and used against us. Help! Squeak!

The tiny island, spending in ONE YEAR the amount our country spends in 12 hours for national defense might just thump us hard!

[Osolomia]

8. That is, legallize what the "exiles" are already getting away with

At over US $1 billion a year the "exiles" have been Cuba's largest single source of revenue for several years now.

These days Cuba's revenue from toursim is about $2 billion, Bush just increased the limit on the amount the "exiles" can spend there 10 fold.

Since the limits on remittances and travel to Cuba by Cuban-American "exiles" is not enforced nor considered enforceable, Delahunt's bill just legalizes Bush's pro-Batistiano $10 billion black market industry since they're doing it regardless of what the law says while tightenting restrictions on American-Americans from spending a nickel there.

At this rate what's next?

[Judi Lynn]

9. What's next appears to be whatever can be done to suck up

and placate the Cuban "exile" right-wing.

Pathetic. I was thinking it appeared he was throwing them a "bone," at the time. You can't really BUY their loyalty. Looks as if he'd know that by now, for crying out loud!

Look at what happened to Al Gore when he abased himself by claiming Elian should stay in Miami with his drunken great-uncle, and psychotic cousin, Maryslesis, and his violent criminal cousins, the Cid brothers. The "exiles" certainly were expressing their gratitude when they drug their butts around the vote recount areas, brandishing their "Sore-Loserman" signs.

[goobergunch]

10. UPDATE

H.R. 2989:
making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Treasury, and independent agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes

6:34 P.M. -
On agreeing to the Hefley amendment Roll Call 481 - Recorded vote pending.

6:32 P.M. -
The House resolved into Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union for further consideration.
Considered as unfinished business.

The House convened, returning from a recess continuing the legislative day of September 9.


6:11 P.M. -
The Speaker announced that the House do now recess. The next meeting is scheduled for 6:30 P.M. today.

H.R. 2989:
making appropriations for the Departments of Transportation and Treasury, and independent agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2004, and for other purposes

6:10 P.M. -
Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union rises leaving H.R. 2989 as unfinished business.

6:09 P.M. -
Mr. Olver raised a point of order against the Mica amendment The Chair sustained the point of order.

6:01 P.M. -
Amendment offered by Mr. Mica.
An amendment which prohibits the use of funds in the bill by Amtrak unless the railroad submits all quarterly and annual reports by law, in accordance with the standards established for all other corporations by the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley corporate accountability law.

6:00 P.M. -
POSTPONED PROCEEDINGS - At the conclusion of debate on the Davis (FL) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Davis (FL) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

5:48 P.M. -
Amendment offered by Mr. Davis (FL).
An amendment to prohibit use of funds to implement or enforce regulations proposed in March that would eliminate licenses for "people-to-people" educational exchanges with Cuba.

5:46 P.M. -
At the conclusion of debate on the Hastings (FL) amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Hastings (FL) demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

5:28 P.M. -
DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 30 minutes of debate on the Hastings (FL) amendment.

5:27 P.M. -
Amendment offered by Mr. Hastings (FL).
An amendment numbered 5 printed in the Congressional Record to prohibit the Office of Management and Budget from using funds in the bill to require that agencies establish an inventory of inherently governmental activities performed by federal employees, establish or implement any streamlined competition procedures, require any follow-up competition for public-private competitions won by federal employees, or implement the trade-off source selection process for any activities other than information technology activities.
On agreeing to the Peterson (PA) amendment Agreed to by voice vote.


5:25 P.M. -
Amendment offered by Mr. Peterson (PA).
An amendment to appropriate $63,000,000 to be derived from the airport and airway trust fund to carry out the essential air service program.

5:24 P.M. -
At the conclusion of debate on the Van Hollen amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the noes had prevailed. Mr. Van Hollen demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

4:51 P.M. -
DEBATE - Pursuant to a previous order of the House, the Committee of the Whole proceeded with 30 minutes of debate on the Van Hollen amendment.
Amendment offered by Mr. Van Hollen.

An amendment to prohibit the use of funds in the bill to implement the revisions to OMB Circular A-76 issued in late May.

4:50 P.M. -
At the conclusion of debate on the Sanders amendment, the Chair put the question on adoption of the amendment and by voice vote, announced that the ayes had prevailed. Mr. Sanders demanded a recorded vote and the Chair postponed further proceedings on the question of adoption of the amendment until later in the legislative day.

http://clerk.house.gov/floorsummary/floor.php3

[Osolomia]

11. Update: Flake Delahunt amendments pass!

Here's the links to the roll call votes when they do get posted:

7:18 P.M. -
On agreeing to the Delahunt amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 484).
http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=484

7:13 P.M. -
On agreeing to the Flake amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 483).
http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=483

Passed 227 to 188

[goobergunch]

12. Sanders Amendment also passed.

http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=485

Hastings (FL) Amendment failed, but you can't win them all.
http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=486

Now voting on the Van Hollen amendment.

[Robbien]

13. What is in the Delahunt amendment?

I tuned in at the tail end and saw that 44 Repubs voted along with the Dems on it. It got me curious.

edit: The overlay on the screen mentioned it dealt with Iraq. Was that correct?

[goobergunch]

14. I just had in my intro that it dealt with Cuba...

don't know how, though...g2g, so I can't look it up now.

[Osolomia]

19. FYI, House Passes Amendments to Ease Cuba Embargo

Tue September 9, 2003 08:16 PM ET
By Pablo Bachelet

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representative passed three amendments on Tuesday that aim to roll back the Cuba trade embargo, setting the stage for a showdown with the White House that has threatened to veto the initiatives.

Lawmakers passed by a 227-188 vote an amendment introduced by Arizona Republican Jeff Flake to a larger Transportation and Treasury spending bill. The Flake amendment seeks to deny the Bush administration funds to enforce the travel ban, without formally lifting the ban itself.

.... The debate cut through party lines, with William Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, saying the "magnitude of failure of this (travel) policy is colossal."

Delahunt presented his own amendment to lift caps on remittances that Cubans in the United States send to their relatives back home. That amendment passed by a 222-196 vote.

The Bush administration has steadfastly refused to relax travel rules, and tightened licensing requirements that allowed some tourists to go to Cuba legally. Rep. Jim Davis, a Florida Democrat, introduced an amendment to overturn those restrictions, and the House passed it by 246-173 vote.

More...
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3416390

This is the 4th year in a row that Flake (R) has tabled this ammendment, this is the 4th year in a row that the House has passed it, this is the 4th year in a row that Bush has threatened to veto it.

[Judi Lynn]

17. Delahunt, from what I gathered, seeks to remove restrictions

from the amounts of money people can send to their relatives in Cuba. Currently the limit is $100.00 per month. Delahunt would remove it altogether.

He said he hopes to draw attention to the White House's peculiar Cuba policy, as they have not pursued enforcing the limits on what Cuban-Americans send to their families there, and they allow them to personally deliver amounts up to $10,000.00 at one time in their own personal visits to Cuba. He says that is truly screwed up, to have a lid on $1,200.00 per year, and also to allow them to personally deliver amounts up to $10,000.00 in personal trips.

I need to find out more about it.

The transcript should be available soon.

I listened to Delahunt and didn't hear him mention any action concerning Iraq. In earlier remarks, the pro-travel people did bring up the fact that Americans have always been allowed to travel to Russia, Viet Nam, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, China, etc.

[Osolomia]

16. Davis ammendment also passes!

7:51 P.M. -
The House rose from the Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union to report H.R. 2989.
On agreeing to the Davis (FL) amendment Agreed to by recorded vote: (Roll No. 488).
http://clerkweb.house.gov/cgi-bin/vote.exe?year=2003&rollnumber=488


The Flake amendment essentially lifts the travel ban against Cuba, Delahunt's ammendment lifts the limits on the amount of remittances exiles can send to their families in Cuba, Davis's amendment lifts enforcemnt of travel restrictions against educational exchamges.

Bush has threatened to veto this Transportation and Treasury appropriations bill if it contains any such language weakening the embargo against Cuba.

[kainah]

15. Was there a BBV amendment?

I watched most of the day but never saw one considered and don't find it in later summaries of the day's motions. They are now voting on final passage ... so did BBV come up?

[Judi Lynn]

18. I heard Jeff Flake say at the very beginning today

that they currently have -> -> 55 <- <- members in the Congressional Cuba Working Group. They are Bipartisan.

They capably replace the former US Cuba Commission, formed by Republican Sen. John Warner:

http://www.uscubacommission.org/list.html

[Osolomia]

20. Bush threatens to veto the freedom of Americans but who cares!

House Members Disregard Veto Threat, 'Vote for Freedom' on Cuba Travel
http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=184-09092003


It's even on Faux for crying out loud!

House Votes to Ease Travel Sanctions Against Cuba
Tuesday , September 09, 2003

WASHINGTON — The House defied a threatened presidential veto Tuesday in moving to lift four-decade-old restrictions on travel to Cuba (search). Lawmakers also voted to lift the caps on money that can be sent to Cuban households.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,96885,00.html

[Judi Lynn]

21. Excellent!

"The policy of isolating Cuba -- politically and economically -- has failed for forty years, and ending the travel ban is the first step in changing US policy toward Cuba for the better. We will now turn our attention to the Senate where we expect identical language to pass. Members of Congress deserve our thanks for their courageous and principled votes today."


(From your usnewswire.com link. Thanks.)

[Judi Lynn]

22. Washington Post added the Cuba amendments passage

at the very end of an article!

(snip) In still another slap to the administration, the House appropriations bill effectively lifted restrictions on travel to Cuba and caps on the amount of money that can be sent to households in Cuba from sources in the United States -- both steps the White House opposed.

The House prevents the use of federal funds to enforce travel restrictions and the sending of money to Cuban households. (snip/...)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A51801-2003Sep9.html

[Osolomia]

23. Read the full AP report on defying Bush's veto here

from one of the more enlightened places in the country:

Posted on Tue, Sep. 09, 2003

House Lifts Travel Restrictions on Cuba
JIM ABRAMS
Associated Press

WASHINGTON - The House defied a threatened presidential veto Tuesday in moving to lift four-decade-old restrictions on travel to Cuba. Lawmakers also voted to lift the caps on money that can be sent to Cuban households.

More...
http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/6731231.htm

[Osolomia]

24. So much for DUers interest in freedom and democracy

and defying Bush vetos eh?

What a deplorable shame!

[Robbien]

25. Glad you are reporting.

This is great news. The Cuban people have been wrongly in the dog house for way too many years. And another good part is that Bush lost. So, Yay!

[Osolomia]

27. Glad you are paying attention and taking a stand! Bravo!

It's most alarming that so few DUhers do!

In the name of "freedom" for Americans a bipartisan majority in the House today defied a threatened Bush veto and voted to overturn Bush's recent tightening of the travel restrictions and even lift them altogether.

The Senate is expected to do the same.

Meanwhile the majority of the 2004 Democratic presidential candidates still stand with Bush's antiquated embargo policy and DUers don't give a damn.

Go figure!

[Robbien]

28. There is an overload out there. Is that not the plan?

It is hard to keep focused in these times and DUers are trying to pick one and stay their course I believe. That is why it is a relief to me that there are DUers such as you who are not letting us drop the ball on the new ones that come whizzing by.

This "go figuring" done. No?

[Osolomia]

29. There's nothing whatsoever "new" about this one!

This battle has been brewing for over 10 years and Dems have been using the same pathetic excuse for avoiding it for 4 US predidential campaigns now and all the time in between. Go figure!

[Robbien]

30. This time the Cubans back home won, right? This is a good thing.

No?

[Osolomia]

31. Yes and yes however

these amendments still have to be voted on by the Senate and approved by Bush before becoming law and Bush has promised to veto them if the Senate does pass them too.

Time will tell.

[Judi Lynn]

26. With the Miami "exile" Congresscritters, you always know it's coming

You just don't know what form it will take, when they try to assail the character of Americans who don't agree with them.

THIS year, Lincoln Diaz Balart held up the photo of a 9 year old kid, as he described it, wearing lipstick, and said that if Americans insist on touring Cuba they would be contributing to this attrocity, and he claimed the Cuban government promotes child prostitution.

That's a totally new one for the books. Don't forget Otto Reich's accusation that Minnesota's Governor Jesse Ventura, while on his trip with his delegation to Cuba's Agricultural and Trade Fair should forget about going there for "sexual adventurism."

Oh, Lincoln, you endlessly NEVER SURPRIZE us.


"Anyone who opposes me is a sexual deviant"

[SharonAnn]

32. They need to "get over it". They really need to "get over it."

eom