Provisions to lift Cuba travel and business restrictions inch forward

Provisions to lift Cuba travel and business restrictions inch forward

Senate Appropriations Committee approves Cuba amendments to lift travel
and business payment restrictions.
NORA GÁMEZ TORRES
ngameztorres@elnuevoherald.com

Two amendments to eliminate the prohibitions on travel to Cuba and allow
the extension of private credits to companies on the island for the
purchase of U.S. agricultural products were included in the draft budget
for financial services and general government spending for 2017 and
approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee Thursday.

An amendment by Senators Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and Jerry Moran
(R-Kansas) to remove restrictions still hanging over U.S. travel to the
island and tourism was approved in a voice vote.

TODAY, AMERICANS CAN TRAVEL TO ANY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD ... EXCEPT ONE
THAT IS 90 MILES AWAY: CUBA
Senator Patrick Leahy

"Today, Americans can travel to any country in the world ... except one
that is 90 miles away: Cuba," Leahy said in presenting his proposal. The
senator argued that the current policy of sanctions "ended up harming
the Cuban people" and not allowing Americans to freely travel to that
country prevents the free flow of ideas and democratic values.

Another amendment to allow American farmers to extend private financing
for the export of agricultural commodities to Cuba was also approved by
a majority vote, 22-8. Currently Cubans must pay cash for the purchase
of any agricultural or food product imported from the United States.

The amendment, proposed by Senators John Boozman (R-Arkansas) and John
Tester (D-Montana), also removes restrictions that prevent ships docking
in Cuban ports from loading or unloading freight in the U.S. before six
months.

"This is what historic change looks like. The success of these
amendments prove there is growing bipartisan support for changing our
obsolete policy toward Cuba," said Steven Law, Engage Cuba senior
advisor and former chief of staff to Senate Leader Mitch McConnell
(R-KY). "More and more, members of Congress are realizing how unfair it
is to deny Americans the right to freely travel to Cuba and to block
American farmers and companies from doing business there."

James Williams, the president of Engage Cuba, said that the travel ban
is incompatible with U.S. values ​​as a free society. He also noted that
the increase in travel by Americans to Cuba (more than 94,000 have
visited the country in the first three months of this year) is already
"fueling" the expansion of the private sector on the island.

"We are very pleased that the Senate Appropriations Committee has passed
provisions to allow Americans to travel to Cuba, allow American farmers
to offer credit to Cuba, and allow ships to dock in Cuban ports,"
Williams said.

"Increased American travel is already fueling the vast expansion of
Cuba's private sector. Not only that, but the federal government
shouldn't be in the business of policing Americans' vacation plans," he
said. "The travel ban is inconsistent with our values as a free society
and I'm glad the Senate Appropriations Committee made it overwhelmingly
clear they want that to change."

Earlier this month, Engage Cuba announced that the Freedom to Travel to
Cuba Act of 2015, presented by Leahy and Republican Senator Jeff Flake,
already had 51 sponsors. However, Williams warned that the strategy
would not be to force a vote on the Senate floor but rather to try to
include amendments during the process of approving budgets for the
various levels of government.

Also approved were provisions to expand exports of devices and
telecommunications services to Cuba (presented by Senator Tom Udall) as
well as to allow aircraft traveling to or returning from Cuba in the
transatlantic route to make stops in the United States for refueling at
the airport in Bangor, Maine, (proposed by Sen. Susan Collins).

The refueling provision was approved despite an objection from the
Treasury Department, which sent a last-minute message of concern
pointing out that the language could be used by airlines or countries
not authorized to fly to the United States to land planes on U.S. soil.

The amendments were included during a "markup" session to redraft and
approve the budgets for government financial services and the U.S.
Department of Interior, which will be taken up by the full Senate. The
draft budgets were cataloged as "controversial" because of the inclusion
of the Cuba amendments and other "riders," which are additional
unrelated provisions that several senators called "poison pills."

President Barack Obama has repeatedly called on Congress to lift the
embargo completely, which has been weakened after several rounds of
regulations adopted by his administration. The adviser to the president,
Ben Rhodes, said last week that restrictions on travel and trade with
the island that still persist, would be eliminated by Congress "sooner
than people imagine."

Source: Provisions to lift Cuba travel and business restrictions move
forward | In Cuba Today -
http://www.incubatoday.com/news/article84245092.html