Author: Andrea Fernández Aponte
Updated 6/13/2017:
We’re running out of time. Trump is set to announce his new Cuba policy this Friday. And we’re not expecting good news.
Yet, we still have a couple of days before Trump officially turns back the clock on U.S.-Cuba relations. Yesterday, the White House disclosed that Trump hasn’t even seen or approved the final proposal yet. What’s more, earlier this morning, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Cuba policy “is still in interagency review going on today.”
We can’t trust this administration to do what’s right on its own. That’s why we must raise our voices and push back against a rollback of Obama’s Cuba policies.
We need you to ACT NOW before it’s too late. Please take 5 minutes to CALL the White House and stand up for all the progress we’ve made. (Remember: calling is by far the most effective way to get our government to pay attention to our concerns!)
Comments: 202-456-1111
Switchboard: 202-456-1414
Suggested script:
“I want President Trump to know that I strongly support continued U.S. engagement with Cuba. Increased travel and trade with Cuba not only benefit major industries and job creators in the United States and allows American citizens their right to travel to Cuba, but also helps to improve the lives of the Cuban people. The U.S. embargo on Cuba has failed to accomplish its intended goals and has instead hurt both the Cuban and the American people.”
It’s now or never. We’re counting on you.
Together with your help, we’ve worked for years to improve U.S.-Cuba relations. Now, thanks to Obama’s executive orders and renewed energies in Congress, we’re closer than ever to finally putting an end to the outdated and unjust embargo and travel ban against our island neighbor. Yet, everything we’ve achieved thus far is now in serious jeopardy.
We’ve been anxiously waiting for an announcement from the White House on the results of the U.S.-Cuba policy interagency review it ordered, which will indicate the direction that the policy will take under Trump. Today, we’re told that #45 is set to announce a rollback of Obama’s policies toward Cuba.
It is critically important that the White House hear from you and your members of Congress ASAP. Contact your members of Congress to urge them to demand continued travel and engagement with Cuba!
We have information that almost every agency that took part in Trump’s Cuba policy review expressed support for continued engagement, travel, and trade with Cuba. And just last Thursday, 55 Senators took another step forward by reintroducing the Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act, a bill that would eliminate current restrictions on traveling to Cuba for tourist purposes. However, we fear that this administration’s Cuba policy will be determined by politics and a couple of hardliners instead of the merits of the review. We believe that a “deal” may have been struck in which promises were made to certain Florida members of Congress to roll back President Obama’s forward-looking Cuba policy.
The Trump Administration is on the brink of reversing the critical changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba made by President Obama that allowed for all of the progress in travel and better relations over the past several years. We need your help to #RESIST and keep moving forward!
Take Action
1. CALL or email your members of Congress:
Tell them to take action to continue travel and engagement with Cuba, before it’s too late! Click here to call your TWO senators and ONE representative now! >>
Suggested Script:
“As your constituent, I want you to know that I strongly support continued U.S. engagement with Cuba. Increased travel and trade with Cuba not only benefit major industries and job creators in your district and allows your constituents their right to travel to Cuba, but also helps to improve the lives of the Cuban people.
As the Trump Administrations finalizes its U.S.-Cuba policy review, I urge you to contact the White House NOW and express your strong support for expanded travel to and engagement with Cuba.
The U.S. embargo on Cuba has failed to accomplish its intended goals and has instead hurt both the Cuban and the American people. As a member of Congress, you should build upon the momentum of the past two years, and pass legislation to lift the U.S. travel ban and trade embargo on Cuba.”
2. CONTACT the White House:
• Call the White House Comments line: 202-456-1111, or the Switchboard: 202-456-1414.
• Email the White House from their website here.
3. TWEET at the President and Congress:
You can look up your members’ twitter handles here!
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4. SPREAD the word:
Share this image on social media to get more people involved>>
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Click on the image to share it on Facebook! |
This is a critical time for U.S.-Cuba relations. As we look to the future, we can move forward with a policy of continued travel and engagement, or we can face a drastic rollback of all our progress of the past two years. We urgently need your help.
P.S. We will continue to update you on Congress’s efforts to move forward on travel and trade with Cuba. See our action page here for the bills your members can currently support.
