| Senator John Ensign stopped
progress on repealing the Cuba travel ban last week. His actions were
outrageous, and Cubacentral.com members really ought to call him on it. And
we mean call him on it! See his phone number below along with the following
background information. Last week,
Senator Byron Dorgan stepped up to the plate and offered our bill on travel
to Cuba during debate in the Senate on the Treasury Department budget.
Although a majority of Senators and a
majority of Americans favor opening travel to Cuba, Senator Ensign decided
to take matters into his own hands. In the legislative equivalent of putting
a dog in the manger, Ensign attached a second degree amendment to Senator
Dorgan’s original amendment to stop enforcement of the travel ban.
Ensign’s amendment dealt with the issue of
abortion, and because Senators would have to vote on Dorgan’s Cuba travel
amendment and Ensign’s abortion amendment as a package, the Dorgan amendment
[amendment #2133] became far too divisive and Dorgan was forced to withdraw
it.
Now here’s the really ugly part.
Did Ensign attach an abortion amendment
because he legitimately wanted Congress to vote on it?
No, says Ensign’s chief of staff, John
Lopez, the Senator attached his amendment with the sole purpose of stopping
the effort to open travel to Cuba. Lopez told a Cubacentral.com member that
Ensign wanted the amendment dead in the water to avoid a debate on Cuba in
the Senate. This intentional blow to the Cuba travel amendment makes a
mockery of the legislative process.
Call Senator Ensign’s office
[202-224-6244] and let him know that his maneuver did not go unnoticed and
that there’s a price to pay for playing games on Cuba. A majority of
Americans hold their right to travel freely in high regard, and one man
should not obstruct the majority’s will to make free travel between the U.S.
and Cuba a reality.
Please email us (cubatravel@ciponline.org)
and let us know how your call goes so we can monitor this campaign.
Many Thanks! |