A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has come together to co-sponsor legislation that would end the Cuban trade embargo. The bill is called the “Freedom to Export to Cuba Act” and would bring an end to all legal barriers for the U.S. to conduct business with Cuba. Minnesota Democrat Amy Klobuchar says U.S. policy toward Cuba has been defined by past conflict instead of present reality. She says, “More than 50 years of isolating an island just 90 miles from our border has not secured our interests and has disadvantaged American business owners and farmers.” Wyoming Republican Mike Enzi says the strategy of isolating Cuba has not been successful. “This bipartisan legislation would lift the travel restriction to Cuba, providing new opportunities for American businesses, farmers, and ranchers,” Enzi says. He calls the trade a powerful thing, not just for dealing with the flow of goods but the flow of ideas like freedom and democracy. The bill would repeal all restrictions against doing business in Cuba, including the original 1961 authorization that put the trade embargo in place. It also would lift requirements to enforce the embargo and the limits currently in place on direct shipping between U.S. and Cuban ports. The Trump administration is expected to announce its policy on Cuba in the near future.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.