GOP-controlled Senate panel votes to lift Cuba travel ban

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A bipartisan bill to help expand the export of U.S. agricultural commodities to Cuba passed in a Senate committee – the final step before a vote in the full Senate.

US officials told the group that the administration has no plans to announce new measures regarding Cuba and is still refining regulations announced in January to ease travel rules and financial and banking changes.

The House Appropriations Committee has moved in the opposite direction, but the intra-party disagreement among Republicans makes it far less likely that the GOP-controlled Congress will try to use spending bills to challenge Obama’s rapprochement with Cuba. Instead, all that is required is for travelers to assert that their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

“This is a first step by the Senate to dismantle a failed, discredited and counterproductive policy that in 54 years has failed to achieve any of its objectives, ‘ said Democratic Senator Patrick Leahy, a long-time opponent of Cuba sanctions”.

The amendments would allow freer travel to and from Cuba and remove a legal requirement that a ship must wait six months before coming to the United State after docking in Cuba. This ban applies, among others, to the hospitality industry eager to cater to the expected influx of American visitors.

“After almost 60 years, we might try something different”, Republican senator Jerry Moran said commenting the vote on Thursday.

Arne Sorenson, president of American hotel company Marriot global, is one of many American CEO’s pushing for easing of restrictions.

The Cuba legislation was added to a $21 billion measure funding the Treasury Department, which enforces the longstanding trade embargo.