Congressman Cohen Seeks Lifting of Terrorist Designation for Cuba imposed by Donald Trump

WASHINGTON – Three years ago to the day that Donald Trump slapped Cuba with the designation of a State Sponsor of Terrorism as he was leaving the White House, Congressmen Steve Cohen today wrote to President Biden asking him to lift the resulting unnecessary economic sanctions. Congressman Cohen traveled to Cuba in 2016 with President Obama after he lifted sanctions and welcomed interaction with the Cuban people.

In his letter, Congressman Cohen wrote in part:

“I am writing to request that you begin the process of reviewing and reversing the inclusion of Cuba on the State Sponsors of Terrorism (SSOT) list. Three years ago today, nine days before leaving office, then-President Trump placed Cuba on the SSOT list.

“For over sixty years, the US embargo has caused profound harm to the economy and people of Cuba. The tightening of sanctions under President Trump, including those triggered by the SSOT designation, is now one of the key factors driving Cuba’s deepening humanitarian crisis. Restrictions on foreign assistance and finance, as well as severed ties from businesses and financial institutions that do not want to risk being associated with ‘a sponsor of terror,’ have helped to cripple the Cuban economy and cut off the Cuban people from the global financial system. As a result, private sector growth has been severely hindered, and many Cubans abroad face difficulties getting money to their families back home. The resulting dire economic conditions have caused an increase in Cuban migration to the United States, only worsening the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

“I am a longtime supporter of a free Cuba. Cuba is no longer the threat to the U.S. that it was in the 1960s. Trump’s reinstatement of the SSOT on the basis that Cuba was supporting terrorism by hosting ten members of the Colombian guerilla movement is meritless. In fact, Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, has gone so far as to personally call for the removal of the SSOT designation, and many former administration officials have openly described the rationale for the designation as a fiction. 

“The Obama-Biden administration removed Cuba from the SSOT list in 2015. This was an extremely popular decision that helped warm relations between the Cuban and American people. I had the opportunity to travel to Cuba with President Obama in 2016 and experienced the strong sense of goodwill towards Americans because of this policy change. I left hopeful about the possibilities for collaboration and growth for our two countries. Lifting sanctions is not an endorsement of the policies of the Cuban government, but a recognition that the current approach has failed the Cuban people. The best way to be good neighbors is to cultivate more dialogue, travel, and interaction between Cubans and Americans.” 

See the entire letter here.

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