National Journal's CongressDaily


February 4, 1998 10:32 am Eastern Time


EDITION: am

SECTION: TRADE

LENGTH: 148 words

HEADLINE: Unusual Coalition Will Lobby For Cuba Trade

BODY:
Former House Ways and Means Chairman Gibbons has signed on to lobby the Cuba trade issue for an unusual coalition that includes movie director Oliver Stone, former Defense Secretary Carlucci, pediatrician Benjamin Spock and almost two dozen other big names, National Journal reports Friday. Gibbons, who started a small consulting shop following his 1996 retirement from Congress, will lobby for Americans for Humanitarian Trade with Cuba, a group organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Republican consultant Craig Fuller and others. Gibbons is "a prime mover, not just a signatory," said John Howard, the Chamber's director of international policy and programs. Not surprisingly, the coalition, which backs free trade with Cuba for food and medical supplies, has sparked the ire of the Cuban-American National Federation and others who urge a continued boycott against Cuba.