5 Reasons Why I’m Joining the President’s Historic Trip to Cuba

1. A sitting U.S. President hasn’t visited Cuba in nearly 90 years.

The last sitting U.S. President to visit Cuba was Calvin Coolidge in 1928. I’m extremely honored to be among the select group of U.S. lawmakers who will join President Obama on this historic visit next week.

Cuba is just 90 miles from U.S. shores, but it’s been almost 90 years since a sitting U.S. president visited the country (see the black and white.)

2. North Dakota agriculture products are a natural fit for Cuba.

North Dakota crops like beans, peas, lentils, and barley are in high demand in Cuba. Cuba imports about 80 percent of its food, and Cubans’ diets are rich in many of the crops that are grown in North Dakota and the Upper Midwest.

At the same time, our producers’ bottom lines depend on exports — which is why I have been pushing for my bipartisan bill to support and expand the export of agriculture commodities to Cuba.

My bill would level the playing field for North Dakota and U.S. exporters by allowing private businesses and banks to offer credit for exports of agricultural products to Cuba. There’s no reason for Cuba to buy agricultural products from Canada, Brazil, and Vietnam rather than from North Dakota.

3. Agricultural exports are critical for North Dakota.

North Dakota is the 9th largest agriculture exporting state in the country, with an estimated $4.1 billion in commodities sold each year in foreign markets.

Almost a quarter of North Dakota workers are farmers or ranchers, or are employed in farm-related jobs. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, North Dakota agricultural exports support about 27,000 jobs. Especially with low commodity prices, it’s important that we open markets to help support farmers who rely on exports for their bottom line.

4. U.S. Senators from North Dakota and Montana have worked to open up Cuba for years.

Former U.S. Senators Byron Dorgan and Kent Conrad from North Dakota, as well as former U.S. Senator Max Baucus from Montana, started working to increase exports of agricultural products to Cuba long before I joined the U.S. Senate.

U.S. Senator Jon Tester from Montana and I have been continuing where they left off. In 2014, we visited Cuba to push for the island nation to buy more North Dakota and Montana commodities.

5. Trade is an important way to expand human rights in Cuba.

As I’ve long said, trade between the United States and Cuba is a fundamental step toward strengthening human rights in Cuba, which must remain a key goal as relations expand.

When I met with Cuban President Raul Castro last year at the United Nations in New York, I told him that the more we see Cuba respect human rights, the easier it will be to lower trade barriers for U.S. exports to Cuba.