House Passes Travel, Credit and Remittances for Cuba

July 23rd, for the second year in a row, the House of Representatives voted to end the travel ban to Cuba and to allow for private financing of agricultural sales to Cuba by US farmers. These amendments have repeatedly passed the Congress and the vote counts showed strong bipartisan support for changing US policy toward Cuba. Amended to the Treasury-Postal Appropriations Bill, the travel provision, offered by Congressmen Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Jim McGovern (D-MA), passed by a vote of 262-167. An amendment, introduced by Jerry Moran (R-KS) to allow financing of food and medicine sales won with a voice vote. In addition, the House also approved an amendment to allow Cuban-Americans to send money to their relatives in Cuba without restrictions. This amendment, offered by Representatives Flake and Delahunt (D-MA) passed easily by a vote of 251-177.

The travel, financing and remittances amendments cut funding for the enforcement of these aspects of the embargo against Cuba, a move that sends a strong signal to the Administration that Congress wants to change a failed policy.

An amendment introduced by Rep. Goss (R-FL) was designed to undermine the Flake amendment by only allowing travel to Cuba after the President certifies that they are not producing biological weapons or collaborating with international terrorists. Goss’ provision was defeated by a vote of 247-182, despite intense pressure from the Bush Administration, including a letter to House Members from Secretary of State Colin Powell and Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, and a last-minute statement from Under Secretary for Arms Control, John Bolton.

In recent years, bipartisan votes to ease the embargo have been stripped out of bills in conference committees because of pressure from House Republican leadership and the White House. This years’ votes indicate the strength of Congress’ will to pursue a change in US policy toward Cuba. Rep. McGovern said, “A Majority of Members of the House of Representatives is committed to ending a 40-year failed policy and these votes reflected that. These initiatives will help the Cuban people, those who are most hurt by the embargo, and they represent the interests of American citizens, who want the right to see Cuba for themselves, interact with the Cuban people, sell their products to the island and send money to their families.”

Rep. Flake commented, "If we want to effectively to promote American ideals of freedom and democracy in Cuba, we can't continue to deny Americans the freedom to travel to Cuba.”

"The travel vote reflects the will of the American people, who are overwhelmingly opposed to travel controls. Quite rightly, they see these as an infringement of their constitutional rights imposed simply to pander to a tiny group of hard-line Cuban exiles in Florida,” said Wayne Smith, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy. “The vote will be applauded also by Cuban religious leaders and by most dissidents and human rights activists, who have long urged the lifting of travel controls. As Elizardo Sanchez, Cuba's leading human rights activist, has often put it: ‘The more American citizens in the streets of Cuban cities, the better for the cause of a more open society.’”

Agriculture, business, humanitarian and religious organizations were pleased by the passage of the amendments. Mavis Anderson of the Latin America Working Group, a coalition of over 65 national religious and grassroots organizations, said, “Churches and humanitarian organizations have long said that food and medicine, and credit for food and medical sales, should not be used as weapons, and that the embargo should end. Moreover, American religious and humanitarian values dictate that the Cuban people should not have to suffer because the United States does not agree with the Cuban government.”

Growing Support for Ending Cuba Embargo
The House of Representatives also voted on a measure to cut funding for the enforcement of the embargo against Cuba, a move that sends a strong signal to the Administration that Congress wants the embargo to end. In a 204-226 vote, the House fell just short of the majority needed to pass an amendment offered by Congressmen Charles Rangel (D-NY) and Jose Serrano (D-NY) to reverse a long-debated and out-dated policy toward Cuba. This vote has gained supporters each of the three years it has been introduced, getting 186 votes in 2000 and 201 in 2001. Mr. Rangel was pleased with this year’s vote saying, “The increasing support for this amendment sends a strong message that the embargo isn’t working and that its time for the U.S. to craft a more sensible and effective policy of engagement with Cuba. Only through engagement will we be able to effectively promote the ideals of human rights and democracy.”
Indeed Geoff Thale, Senior Associate at the Washington Office on Latin America, said, “This vote is the culmination of growing support for easing pieces of the embargo. The more people engage with the Cuba issue, the more they see the whole embargo as foolish and short-sighted.”

“This vote reflects the growing momentum in favor of getting rid of the embargo against Cuba altogether,” said Wayne Smith, Senior Fellow at the Center for International Policy. “The embargo is a Cold War instrument which no longer serves any useful purpose. On the contrary, it is counterproductive and makes the U.S. look foolish in the eyes of the rest of the world. Not a single other government supports it, and Cuban religious leaders, and most dissidents and human rights activists, the very people we say we want to help, urge us to lift it. This vote is a step in the right direction."

The Treasury-Postal Appropriations Bill will now be considered in conference with the Senate, which will act on Cuba amendments in September. It is anticipated that similar Cuba amendments will also pass the Senate, making their inclusion in the final bill, and their delivery to the President’s desk for his signature, a logical conclusion. The House leadership has previously vigorously opposed the Cuba provisions, and Cuba-policy watchers anticipate repeated maneuvering to again attempt to frustrate the will of the Congress and of the American people.

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