Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee and was the first legislator to visit Cuba in four years, advocated support for non-state forms of economic management in the Caribbean country, a sector that, in his opinion, is “vibrant ”.
In this sense, he urged the administration of President Joe Biden to reinforce support for small and medium private Cuban companies through the creation of more general licenses and access to international banking.
As he published on his official website, the Oregon legislator intends to discuss his ideas with his colleagues in the Upper House “in the coming weeks.”
He reiterated that three of his long-standing priorities and for which he intends to add support are “to end the economic embargo (blockade), normalize trade relations between the United States and Cuba, and eliminate the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism.”
During his recent visit to Havana, Wyden was received by the President of Cuba, Miguel Díaz-Canel, who confirmed his willingness to work together to improve bilateral relations for the benefit of both peoples.
“I explained (to Wyden) the impact that the extreme measures of the United States Government have had on the Cuban population,” the president wrote on his Twitter account.
The senator is the sponsor of a bill to end the unilateral siege that the White House has imposed on the island for more than 60 years, and last year he urged the Biden-Harris administration to reverse the failed policies of Donald Trump (2017 -2021) to Cuba.
The so-called United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2021 seeks to repeal the outdated sanctions and establish normal commercial relations with the island nation.
“Our nation’s embargo (blockade) of Cuba is an artifact of the 1960s. Continuing this outdated and harmful policy of isolation would be a failure of the US leadership,” he stressed.
“Although Trump increased tensions with Cuba during his disastrous tenure, I am optimistic about President Biden’s new diplomatic course,” Wyden said then.
“Regardless, Congress has a moral and economic obligation to the American people to improve US-Cuba relations as quickly and safely as possible,” he warned.
The US-Cuba Trade Act of 2021 would remove major statutes codifying sanctions against Cuba, including the Helms-Burton Act and the Cuban Democracy Act, as well as other provisions affecting trade, investment, and travel to Cuba ; furthermore, it would establish normal relations with that country.
Along with Wyden, Senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont), Richard Durbin (Illinois), and Jeff Merkley (Oregon) also sign the bill.
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