Sen. Boozman Will Vote For U.S. Embassy In Cuba

Senator John Boozman, R-Arkansas, said he will vote to approve a U.S. embassy in Cuba if it comes for a floor vote as expected.

Boozman, who conducted an interview with Talk Business & Politics host Roby Brock as part of KATV Ch. 7’s “Connect with Congress” series, said it’s time for a different foreign policy towards the communist island nation.

“I’m very much a ‘yes’ vote for the embassy being established in Cuba,” said Boozman who cited agricultural interests as a primary reason for his support.

“We’ve been doing the same thing for the last 50 years – it simply hasn’t worked. What we want is a free and open Cuba. I believe that the way that you get there is through trade in the sense that you’re not only trading goods and services, but you’re also trading ideas,” Boozman said.

Sen. Tom Cotton opposes a Cuban U.S. embassy, claiming that American policy was working towards political change before the Obama administration pivoted its approach.

Boozman, who is seeking re-election to a second six-year Senate term in 2016, said he won’t be at the upcoming Reagan-Rockefeller fundraiser featuring controversial GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“I will not be there because I already have an engagement,” Boozman said. “They’re actually naming a ship after Arkansas and so I’m going to be at the ship naming at 10 o’clock the next morning… That’s a great honor for our state.”

In the interview, Boozman offered his opinions on a number of additional subjects, including U.S.-Iranian negotiations and the request for land in Pulaski County by the Quapaw Indian tribe.

You can watch his full interview below.