As President Obama moves ahead to normalize relations with communist Cuba, Congress is weighing in with its own measures. The first big bill was introduced today in the Senate – a measure to eliminate the Cuba travel ban – but its passage is hardly certain.
The legislation would end all restrictions on U.S. travel to Cuba, which have been in place since 1963. Right now Americans can legally visit the island for certain reasons like cultural exchanges. But tourism remains prohibited.
The bill’s lead sponsor is Republican Arizona Senator Jeff Flake. A companion bill is expected later in the House, and both have bipartisan sponsorship. They’re considered a prelude to broader legislation to eliminate the 54-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba.
President Obama supports lifting both the travel ban and the embargo. But it’s questionable whether those measures have the votes in this more conservative Congress. That's especially true since many legislators –led by South Florida's Cuban-American delegation – oppose Obama’s new engagement with Cuba.
Cuba is the only country in the world where U.S. citizens are barred from traveling in this way. A poll last year by the Atlantic Council's Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center found more than 60 percent of Americans – and a majority of Cuban-Americans – think the travel ban should be eliminated.
