WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, today held a hearing on opportunities and challenges for agriculture trade with Cuba. Watch the video here.

The hearing, titled “Opportunities and Challenges for Agriculture Trade with Cuba,” had two panels.

“At the beginning of this Congress, I was hopeful that trade would be one area where we could work across the aisle to find agreement. I am still hopeful that is the case,” Chairman Roberts said.

“The United States and Cuba have a long history full of contention and instability. There is no shortage of opinion from members of Congress about the relationship between our two countries, both present and future.

“This is not an issue that we are going to be able to fix overnight. It will take efforts in addition to bills in Congress, to truly normalize trade with Cuba… Foreign policy does not happen in a vacuum. We have to take a realistic approach and work out a step by step plan towards lifting the embargo. This is a goal that should include Congress.”