Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson called on Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress to allow U.S. exporters to sell products to Cuba on credit, as reported by Times Record yesterday.
"Just as Cuba acknowledges the benefits of easing restrictions, we must similarly recognize what would be a benefit for Americans," Hutchinson wrote in a letter to Congress.
The governor added that "in this area, Congress has an important role to play. The current requirement that transactions be cash-only limits the potential market for Arkansas products to nearly $40 million."
Hutchinson is concerned that although U.S. exporters are allowed to sell products to Cuba, countries like Brazil and Vietnam are selling agricultural products such as rice and chicken to the Caribbean island on credit.
This dynamic hinders Arkansas's ability to compete in the sale of those products if transactions must be cash-based, as they are currently.
However, Hutchinson emphasized in his letter that when he was in Congress, he voted to maintain the trade embargo on Cuba, and added, "My opinion on the importance of increasing freedom for the Cuban people remains the same."
"The Congress, under his leadership, can undertake efforts that would benefit Americans while maintaining political pressure on the regime's leadership, which has violated Human Rights for over 50 years," he concluded.
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