Senators Confident They Have Votes to Lift Cuba Travel Ban
- Submitted by: admin
- United States
- Politics and Government
- 07 / 03 / 2010
Senators in both political parties are expressing confidence that they have enough votes in the Senate to lift the ban on American travel to Cuba, overturning a U.S. policy that has been in effect for nearly half a century.
Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said Thursday they intend to push their legislation eliminating the travel ban in the remaining weeks of the legislative session after a House committee voted a day earlier to approve its version of the bill, the latest in a string of attempts to ease restrictions against the island.
"It makes no sense to punish the American people by restricting their right to travel simply because our country is trying to punish the Cuban government," Dorgan said in a written statement.
"Decades of the same policy will get you the same result," Enzi said. "We're hopefully about to change that and open up a new world for the people of Cuba."
The House Agriculture Committee voted 25-20 to allow travel to Cuba and make it easier to sell U.S. agricultural exports there. Farm-state members of Congress have long supported expanding opportunities to sell food to the island.
Similar measures have died in the House or Senate in recent years. The country recently has been weakened by the global economic crisis, a sustained drop in revenues from tourism and natural resources and by three hurricanes that caused billions of dollars in damage two years ago.
The House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees may also consider the legislation before it moves to the House floor, however they could waive their jurisdictional authority.
A State Department spokesman would not say whether the Obama administration will support the legislation.
President Obama has relaxed restrictions on family travel.
Dorgan crafted a law nearly a decade ago that opened up agricultural sales to Cuba. Dorgan said he isºworking to overturn actions taken by the Bush administration to further restrict those sales.
"The nearly 50-year embargo and travel ban restricting Americans' right to travel to Cuba has been a failure," Dorgan said. we should allow Americans to travel freely to Cuba."
Sens. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., said Thursday they intend to push their legislation eliminating the travel ban in the remaining weeks of the legislative session after a House committee voted a day earlier to approve its version of the bill, the latest in a string of attempts to ease restrictions against the island.
"It makes no sense to punish the American people by restricting their right to travel simply because our country is trying to punish the Cuban government," Dorgan said in a written statement.
"Decades of the same policy will get you the same result," Enzi said. "We're hopefully about to change that and open up a new world for the people of Cuba."
The House Agriculture Committee voted 25-20 to allow travel to Cuba and make it easier to sell U.S. agricultural exports there. Farm-state members of Congress have long supported expanding opportunities to sell food to the island.
Similar measures have died in the House or Senate in recent years. The country recently has been weakened by the global economic crisis, a sustained drop in revenues from tourism and natural resources and by three hurricanes that caused billions of dollars in damage two years ago.
The House Foreign Affairs and Financial Services committees may also consider the legislation before it moves to the House floor, however they could waive their jurisdictional authority.
A State Department spokesman would not say whether the Obama administration will support the legislation.
President Obama has relaxed restrictions on family travel.
Dorgan crafted a law nearly a decade ago that opened up agricultural sales to Cuba. Dorgan said he isºworking to overturn actions taken by the Bush administration to further restrict those sales.
"The nearly 50-year embargo and travel ban restricting Americans' right to travel to Cuba has been a failure," Dorgan said. we should allow Americans to travel freely to Cuba."
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.foxnews.com/
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