Obama Urges Repeal of Cuban Embargo, Menendez Counters with Ongoing Concerns
President Barack Obama urged Congress to remove the half-century embargo on Cuba in his State of the Union address. That plea follows executive action in December to partially normalize relations with the country, and regulatory changes in recent days that liberalize bilateral trade (see 1501150031). Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., introduced a bill this Congress to repeal the Helms-Burton Act, which codifies sanctions against Cuba (see 1501160009).
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Obama reiterated his argument that the Cuban embargo has failed to benefit U.S. interests, and said reconciliation will mend ties throughout the Western Hemisphere. “In Cuba, we are ending a policy that was long passed its expiration date,” said Obama. “When what you’re doing doesn’t work for 50 years, it’s time to try something new.” But Senate Foreign Relations Committee ranking member Bob Menendez, D-N.J., urged caution in a Jan. 21 letter to Secretary of State John Kerry (here). The Cuban regime continues to imprison political activists and harbor American fugitives, he said. “As the Administration pursues further engagement with Cuba, I urge you to link the pace of changes in U.S. policy to reciprocal action from the Castro regime.”