Miami Herald Reports That Congress is Unlikely to Modify Cuba Embargo
The Miami Herald reports today that any changes to the U.S. embargo on Cuba are unlikely to occur during the current session of Congress. The article notes that after "Democrats seized control of Congress last November, the Bush administration's tough policies on Cuba appeared in trouble. Not anymore." The article further states that:
Since the elections, more than a dozen bills have been introduced to ease the U.S. sanctions, from relaxing or lifting travel restrictions to making it easier to export agricultural goods.
But the new Democratic leadership -- whose Republican predecessors had helped ensure that no anti-sanctions initiatives reached President Bush's desk -- has not pushed those bills and is unlikely to do so soon, Democratic congressional staffers and activists on both sides of the issue say.
The reasons include more pressing priorities like Iraq and immigration reform and an unusually early start of the presidential campaign -- with Florida figuring prominently, given its early primary date. Also, many Democrats prefer to wait for the political picture in Havana to clear up before moving to change policy, the staffers and activists say.
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