Obama’s Plans to Alleviate the Embargo with Cuba Starts this Friday

President Obama plans on getting the embargo against Cuba moving along as soon as possible.

The President is making trading and traveling between the two countries easier with his plan to reestablish relations with Cuba. “These 50 years have shown that isolation has not worked,” exclaims the president.

Written by Rob Rogers on June 5th 2018

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While Congress is skeptical about the embargo, the President feels that diplomacy needs to settle. Congress feels as though this deal is one sided and will only help the Castro Regime that resides in Cuba.

Fox News states, “Only Congress can end the five-decade embargo. But the measures make a number of changes weakening it.” While Congress may have the final say, these measures will allow Americans to use credit cards in Cuba, and export telephone, computer and Internet technologies, but the most treasured commodity has to be the Cuban Cigars that were banned within the United States for over 50 years.

Although tourist travel is still banned, families may visit relatives within the country, and authorized Americans are no longer required to obtain a license before entering the country.

It’s not like there is no American presence currently in Cuba, many people are able to visit and travel there. This has also allowed for most of these products and services to be made available within the country already.

Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, a Cuban American, states his hesitation towards the president’s motives saying that, “This is a windfall for the Castro regime that will be used to fund its repression against Cubans, as well as its activities against U.S. national interests in Latin America and beyond. Given existing U.S. laws about our Cuba policy, this slew of regulations leave at least one major question President Obama and his administration have failed to answer so far: what legal authority does he have to enrich the Castro regime in these ways?”

Others like the White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest, have an optimistic view on the subject and says, how it will “empower the Cuban population to become less dependent upon the state-driven economy, and help facilitate our growing relationship with the Cuban people.”

Local business and citizens of Cuba are expecting great things from this because they feel it will revitalize the economy and how the country is overseen. In particularly the hotel industry who have been suffering, hopes that conditions are improved upon. “This is good news, but we’re lacking infrastructure in hotels and in administration. American tourists are really demanding. How do I explain to one that the taxi didn’t come because it doesn’t have tires or that there’s no water in the rooms?” exclaims Maikel Gonzalez who is a hotel receptionist in Cuba.

The new legislature is set to start this upcoming Friday, and it will be a huge step forward for the President’s office, despite the fact that Congress has its reservations.

Photo: Reuters/Stinger