Election Results: Passed
Approve: 100
Disapprove: 0
Abstain: 0
WHEREAS, for 62 years, the United States has imposed an economic, commercial, and financial embargo on Cuba that prevents most engagement and trade with the United States, punishes other countries that engage with Cuba; and inflicts daily hardships and deprivation on the Cuban people, and
WHEREAS, the Reagan administration in 1982 had included Cuba on its list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, where, with no requirement for regular review, it remained for 33 years, further imposing sanctions on countries who do business with Cuba; and
WHEREAS, in 2015, after an exhaustive State Department review -- the Obama-Biden administration removed Cuba from the U.S. list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and began the process of normalizing relations with Cuba, and
WHEREAS, Former President Trump, in his final days in office, arbitrarily reversed the Obama-Biden administration’s decision, and again placed Cuba on the list, although Cuba does not satisfy any criteria for inclusion on this list; and
WHEREAS, Cuba’s arbitrary designation has subjected them to further sanctions and international financial restrictions that limit the nation’s ability to carry out critical financial transactions, including those needed to combat the COVID pandemic and improve its economy; and
WHEREAS, this listing also bars citizens of forty US allies, including all of the European Union, from entering the US if they have visited Cuba -- unless they can obtain a US visa, which is a long, expensive and doubtful process;
Therefore, Be it Resolved that Veterans For Peace strongly urges President Biden, who has the authority through executive action, to remove Cuba from the United States list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.
Submitted by:
Bill Christofferson (xofffiles@gmail.com, 414-587-6577) and
Arthur Heitzer (Artheitzer@gmail.com)
Co-sponsored by Milwaukee VFP Chapter 102