June 11

A bill to prohibit the President from agriculture-specific sanctions without the consent of Congress now goes to the House floor for action. The bill, by Rep. Thomas Ewing (R-IL), cleared the House International Relations Committee Thursday. Earlier this year, the House Agriculture Committee approved it.

"This is a giant step towards returning prosperity to the family farmer," said Ewing. "American farmers export close to 40% of what they grow, so when the President levies an embargo on agriculture products, real people in farm country are the ones who feel the pinch."

He continued, "It's been proven that agriculture sanctions aren't a useful tool in achieving foreign relations goals. To remain competitive we must keep exploring says to open new markets rather than closing existing ones.'

The legislation doesn't have the clear support of the White House. At a House Agriculture Committee hearing Wednesday, Stuart Eizenstat, deputy under secretary of state, said there was concern about "procedural hurdles" in Ewing's bill that could hinder the President's conduct of foreign policy.

Ewing's bill would require the President to submit a report to Congress before imposing an embargo involving only agricultural products. A proposed termination date also would have to be announced. Congress then would have 100 days to reject or approve the embargo.