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Letter to Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury, and Wilbur Ross, Secretary of Commerce - Klobuchar Leads Letter Opposing Administration Actions to Restrict Educational and Cultural Travel to Cuba

Letter

Date: June 14, 2019
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Transportation

Dear Secretaries Mnuchin and Ross:

We write to express our strong opposition to the recent decisions by the Departments of the Treasury and Commerce to eliminate group "people-to-people" educational travel to Cuba and ban certain passenger and recreational transportation to the island.

The actions by the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control and the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security to further restrict travel to Cuba represent a significant step backwards in the U.S.-Cuba relationship. Fifty-five years of isolating Cuba has served only to disadvantage American and Cuban businesses, farmers, and citizens, while failing to achieve U.S. interests including democratic reforms and improvement in human rights.

Most Americans visiting Cuba do so on a cruise ship. By making passenger and recreational vessels and private and corporate aircraft ineligible for licenses, the Administration is weakening our business relationships and undermining the ability of Americans to travel to Cuba, which will also hurt the Cuban people. Quite simply, the downsides of this decision far outweigh any potential benefits.

Unfortunately, the Administration's policies have negatively impacted the numbers of Americans travelling to Cuba. After the number of Americans visiting Cuba increased nearly 600 percent between 2014 and 2017, travel has stagnated under the current administration and only increased approximately one percent in 2018.

Rather than returning to the failed policies of the past, we should be working to normalize our relations with Cuba and build a relationship that benefits both of our countries. Expanding engagement with Cuba will pave the way for new economic opportunities for America and the Cuban people.

We look forward to hearing from you on this important matter.

Sincerely,


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