Take Action Now to Save Cuba Travel!

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Authors: Angelika Albaladejo, Mavis Anderson

Now’s our chance to make Cuba travel available to everyone! 

Last December, President Obama took unprecedented steps to change U.S.-Cuba policy. Now, it’s up to Congress to keep up the momentum. But, we need your help to gain support!

Freedom to Travel to Cuba


There are strong “end the travel ban for everyone” bills in both the Senate and the House that are gathering co-sponsors. More co-sponsors will lead to action on the bills in the Senate and possibly in the House.

That’s where YOU come in. You can strongly encourage your senators and representatives to co-sponsor this legislation to open travel to Cuba. The goal is 50 co-sponsors on the Senate travel bill by the end of June.

Here are the details:

  • The Senate travel bill is S 299, the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015, introduced by Senators Jeff Flake (R-AZ) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT). It has 35 co-sponsors (remember, we need 50 by the end of June); five are Republicans, plus the primary author, Sen. Flake. See the list of current co-sponsors here.
  • There is a companion Freedom to Travel bill in the House, HR 664, introduced by Reps. Mark Sanford (R-SC) and Jim McGovern (D-MA). It has 29 co-sponsors; five are Republicans, plus the primary author, Rep. Sanford. See the list of current co-sponsors here.


Can you take a few minutes to contact your members of Congress?
Every senator and representative is a priority!

We suggest you take the more targeted action below!
But, for the quickest action, you can use these email forms:

Now, let’s get more specific with our action!

Here’s how to call, email or tweet at your Senators and Representatives!
Afterwards, you can follow the campaign on Twitter and Facebook with the hashtags #CubaTravelForAll, #S299 and #HR664.

Positive action will probably happen first in the Senate, so if your time is limited, concentrate on your two senators right away.
To email your Senator, click their email link below or look up your Senators here. Here’s a sample email to get you started, please feel free to edit:

Dear Senator [add senator’s name],

I write to ask you to support legislation to end the outdated ban on U.S. travel to Cuba once and for all. Please co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015, S 299. Call Senator Flake or Senator Leahy to co-sponsor.

Last December, President Obama took historic steps to transform U.S.-Cuba policy, reestablishing diplomatic relations and lessening restrictions on travel. While these are crucial steps forward, it is up to Congress to take the next step and actually change the law.

There is momentum to make real change in U.S.-Cuba relations now, and I urge you to be a part of this effort by supporting an end to the travel ban.

Recent polls have shown that a strong majority of Americans, including Cuban Americans, support the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba and an end to the long-standing travel ban. Many of your colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed their support—I ask that you do the same. It is right for the United States, Cuba, and the entire hemisphere.

Sincerely, 
[add your name here]


Click the twitter handles below to tweet at these Senators or look up the Twitter page for your members of Congress here. Here’s a sample tweet: I support Freedom to Travel to Cuba. @_____, support #S299 and end the travel ban for everyone! #CubaTravelForAll

Targeted Action
If your senator is on the list below, s/he is a top priority Democrat and should be a relatively easy “get,” so we ask you to be especially committed to encouraging them to co-sponsor.

Targeted Action
Each and every new co-sponsor gets us closer to the magic mark of 50, so YOUR senator is important. But, here’s a list of priority Republicans. If your senator is here, the task is a bit harder, but it is do-able.

Now, if you have some left-over time and energy, do the same thing for your member of the House of Representatives. You can find your member’s name and send an email here.

Here’s a sample email to get you started, please feel free to edit.

Dear Representative [add representative’s name here],

I write to ask you to support legislation to end the outdated ban on U.S. travel to Cuba once and for all. Please co-sponsor and support the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act of 2015, HR 664. Call Rep. Sanford or Rep. McGovern to co-sponsor.

Last December, President Obama took historic steps to transform U.S.-Cuba policy, reestablishing diplomatic relations and lessening restrictions on travel. While these are crucial steps forward, it is up to Congress to take the next step and actually change the law.

There is momentum to make real change in U.S.-Cuba relations now, and I urge you to be a part of this effort by supporting an end to the travel ban.

Recent polls have shown that a strong majority of Americans, including Cuban Americans, support the normalization of relations between the United States and Cuba and an end to the long-standing travel ban. Many of your colleagues on both sides of the aisle have expressed their support—I ask that you do the same. It is right for the United States, Cuba, and the entire hemisphere.

Sincerely,
[add your name here]

Together we can keep moving in the right direction with U.S.-Cuba policy! Follow us on Twitter @EndtheTravelBan and on Facebook for updates on our progress towards #CubaTravelForAll!

Related articles

Push Congress to Act on Cuba!

Join our Social Media Campaign to Restore Relations with Cuba!

Message to the Biden Administration: Restore Diplomatic Relations with Cuba!

Campaigns

Learn about the issues you care about and we work on.

Read More

Analysis

Access our latest publications and commentary.

Read More

Take Action

Speak up for human rights, peace, and justice in the Americas!

Read More