Since March 14, 1958 the Cuban Embargo has been in place preventing amongst other things the sale of Cuban cigars in the United States. Earlier this year, President Obama moved to remove Cuba from the list of countries that support terrorism and to normalize relations. As those relations return to a sense of normalcy both countries have begun establishing an embassy in each others homeland.
Now a bill is about to be filed that would call for the end of the embargo and it comes from an unlikely member of the House of Representatives. Republican Tom Emmer from Minnesota is scheduled to file the Cuba Trade Act of 2015. The measure would remove the restrictions that prohibit American businesses to do business with Cuba and would allow Americans to travel freely to the island nation.
According to Rep. Tom Emmer he decided to pursue a full repeal of the embargo after a trip to Cuba in June where he met with government officials and everyday citizens.
However the proposal comes at a time when other members of the Republican party have proposed a series of additional restrictions to bolster the embargo. In addition, House Speaker John Boener, R-Ohio has been clear that the chamber will not address the embargo until he sees significant changes in Cuba. He has gone on to say as recently as May that the chamber will not reexamine the embargo until “the Cuban people enjoy freedom and not one second sooner”
The current embargo states that it can’t be removed until several changes take place in Cuba including the placement of a democratic government and improvements to the nations human rights record. None of which has happened to date.
