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Amid talk of Trump rollback on Cuba travel, bills would end restrictions—even the embargo

(Photo: Anne Kalosh)
Tourists in Old Havana
Amid mounting speculation the Trump administration could roll back travel to Cuba—potentially impacting numerous US-based cruise lines—proposed legislation is seeking to eliminate any travel restrictions and even to end the embargo.

US-based cruise lines could lose an estimated $200m in revenues and airlines about $512m, according to lobbying group Engage Cuba, if President Trump reverses the Obama administration's policy allowing travel under a specific set of circumstances, including people-to-people cultural exchanges.

South Florida ports and hotels could lose out, too, since they serve ships and passengers en route to the island.

More than a hundred cruises by US-based lines are scheduled to operate this year and next.

A bipartisan coalition of 54 senators introduced a bill to eliminate restrictions on travel to Cuba by American citizens and legal residents. The 'Freedom for Americans to Travel to Cuba Act of 2017' was introduced by Senators Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, and Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont, and is co-sponsored by 52 of their colleagues.

The legislation ends restrictions under laws enacted in 1996 and 2000 that prevent American citizens and legal residents from traveling to Cuba—restrictions that do not exist for travel by Americans to any other country. The bill would also end prohibitions on travel-related transactions, including banking transactions.

'Recognizing the inherent right of Americans to travel to Cuba isn’t a concession to dictators, it is an expression of freedom. It is Americans who are penalized by our travel ban, not the Cuban government,' Flake said. 'Lifting the ban on US citizens traveling to Cuba can pave the way to meaningful change by increasing contact between Cubans and everyday Americans, and it is certain to have positive benefits for the island’s burgeoning entrepreneurial and private sector.'

'The restrictions in law that our bill would strike down are a failed vestige of the Cold War,' Leahy said. 'The travel ban is neither justified nor in our national security or economic interests. If we don’t engage, China and Russia will—in fact they already are. While this bill doesn’t lift the embargo, it at least would restore to Americans the freedom to travel they are entitled to.'

Other legislation, also backed by a bipartisan coalition of senators, would abolish the embargo. The 'Freedom to Export to Cuba Act of 2017' repeals key provisions of laws that block Americans from doing business in Cuba.

Its sponsors are Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat from Minnesota, and Mike Enzi, a Republican from Wyoming, along with Leahy and Flake.

'This bipartisan legislation would lift the travel restriction to Cuba, providing new opportunities for American businesses, farmers and ranchers,' Enzi said. 'But trade is very powerful. It can be more than just the flow of goods, but also the flow of ideas—ideas of freedom and democracy are the keys to positive change in any nation. It is time we moved on from the failed ideas of the past and tried a new approach to Cuba.'

During the presidential campaign, Donald Trump indicated he would review the previous administration's Cuba policies. President Obama used executive orders to restore diplomatic relations and allow for travel under 12 authorized categories.

Despite the recent legislative proposals, there is still strong opposition in Congress to doing business with the island.

Marco Rubio, a Republican senator from Florida, recently told El Nuevo Herald and The Miami Herald: 'I am confident that President Trump will treat Cuba like the dictatorship it is and that our policy going forward will reflect the fact that it is not in the national interest of the United States for us to be doing business with the Cuban military.'