US Travel Policy to Cuba

Cuba is entering a new era. Raul Castro is the acting President and since assuming power one could wonder about Cuba's foreign policy. It is said that Raul is trying to position the country as a marketing driven society, similar to their communist brothers, China. These steps, arguably, have resulted in the potential change of policy by the US government as Reuters reports below:


A U.S. Senate committee on Thursday approved legislation that would undo tougher travel restrictions to Cuba imposed by the Bush administration in 2004, but Republican opposition could stop the measure.

The change approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee would allow Cuban-Americans to travel to Cuba once a year to visit relatives. It would also allow them to spend more money there, about $160 a day.

The current restrictions allow limited family travel from the U.S. to Cuba -- trips lasting a maximum of 14 days once every three years. Daily spending is limited to $50.

If approved, the change would put U.S. travel policy to Cuba back to where it was before the restrictions were introduced by President George W. Bush in 2004.

The restrictions, aimed at reducing income obtained by Cuba's communist state from the visits, excluded aunts, uncles and first cousins from family travel to the Caribbean island.

Under the bill approved by the committee, Cuban-Americans could seek emergency visits and more relatives would qualify for the trips.

Similar legislation was approved last month by a House panel.

Sen. Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota Democrat pushing to loosen the travel restrictions, cited problems encountered by a U.S. soldier who served in Iraq. Upon returning to the United States, the soldier wanted to visit his sick child in Cuba but was denied the emergency visit.

"That kind of perversion is nonsense," Dorgan said. Democrats are attaching the policy change to a fiscal 2009 spending bill for the Treasury Department and other agencies that might not be completed by Congress until early next year.

The Senate measure, like the House bill, also would loosen agricultural trade restrictions to Cuba imposed by the Bush administration.

It would lift a requirement that forces Cuban importers to prepay all shipments, instead of the more usual arrangement other countries enjoy in which payment is made when the commodities are delivered.

Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, warned the committee that the Bush administration is "quite concerned" about the Cuba policy changes in the bill.

He added that unnamed senators likely would put a hold on the legislation, because of the changes to Cuba policy, blocking its consideration by the full Senate.