{ "id": "R43888", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "number": "R43888", "active": true, "source": "EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 580840, "date": "2018-05-04", "retrieved": "2018-05-10T10:10:05.256300", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": "U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba date back to the early 1960s when the Cuban government under Fidel Castro began to build a repressive communist dictatorship and aligned with the Soviet Union. The trade embargo was first imposed in 1962 under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trading with the Enemy Act and soon broadened to include a prohibition on most financial transactions with Cuba. In 1963, the Department of the Treasury issued the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR); they remain the main body of embargo regulations today, and have been amended many times over the years to reflect changes in policy. In addition, since Cuba is an embargoed country, all exports to Cuba must be authorized by the Department of Commerce as implemented through the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). \nOver the years, Congress enacted additional laws that strengthened the embargo on Cuba, including the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (which codified the embargo regulations), and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Congress also has enacted numerous other provisions of law that impose sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on trade, foreign aid, and support from the international financial institutions.\nIn December 2014, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba, moving away from the long-standing sanctions-based policy toward a policy of engagement and a normalization of relations. The shift included three major components: the rescission of Cuba\u2019s designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism in May 2015; the restoration of diplomatic relations in July 2015; and efforts to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to Cuba. In order to implement the third policy component, the Treasury and Commerce Departments eased the embargo regulations (CACR and EAR) five times, most recently in October 2016, in such areas as travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services. \nWhen the President announced his policy change on Cuba, he acknowledged that he did not have authority to lift the embargo because it is codified in legislation. Moreover, the LIBERTAD Act ties the lifting of the embargo to conditions in Cuba, including that the country has a democratically elected government. Lifting the overall economic embargo would require amending or repealing the LIBERTAD Act as well as other statutes that have provisions impeding normal economic relations with Cuba. \nIn June 2017, President Trump announced his Administration\u2019s policy on Cuba, which partially rolls back some of the Obama Administration\u2019s effort to normalize relations with Cuba. Although the President left most Obama-era policy changes in place, two significant changes include restrictions on financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel; and the elimination of individual people-to-people travel. The Treasury and Commerce Departments amended the embargo regulations in November 2017 to implement the Trump policy changes, and the State Department took complementary action by issuing a \u201crestricted list\u201d of entities associated with the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services. \nThis report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive the restrictions. \nFor additional information, see CRS In Focus IF10045, Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview; CRS Report R44822, Cuba: U.S. Policy in the 115th Congress; and CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43888", "sha1": "df74a0af2274f301c78d6aa7b7045cda26ceba07", "filename": "files/20180504_R43888_df74a0af2274f301c78d6aa7b7045cda26ceba07.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43888", "sha1": "af05ba06f389b390b2fc691b43cd89d0ae06989e", "filename": "files/20180504_R43888_af05ba06f389b390b2fc691b43cd89d0ae06989e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 463418, "date": "2017-08-17", "retrieved": "2017-08-21T14:17:00.526832", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": "U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba date back to the early 1960s when the Cuban government under Fidel Castro began to build a repressive communist dictatorship and aligned with the Soviet Union. The trade embargo was first imposed in 1962 under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trading with the Enemy Act and soon broadened to include a prohibition on most financial transactions with Cuba. In 1963, the Department of the Treasury issued the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR); they remain the main body of embargo regulations today, and have been amended many times over the years to reflect changes in policy. In addition, since Cuba is an embargoed country, all exports to Cuba must be authorized by the Department of Commerce as implemented through the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). \nOver the years, Congress enacted additional laws that strengthened the embargo on Cuba, including the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (which codified the embargo regulations), and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Congress also has enacted numerous other provisions of law that impose sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on trade, foreign aid, and support from the international financial institutions.\nIn December 2014, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba, moving away from the long-standing sanctions-based policy toward a policy of engagement and a normalization of relations. The shift included three major components: the rescission of Cuba\u2019s designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism in May 2015; the restoration of diplomatic relations in July 2015; and efforts to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to Cuba. In order to implement the third policy component, the Treasury and Commerce Departments eased the embargo regulations (CACR and EAR) five times, most recently in October 2016, in such areas as travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services. \nWhen the President announced his policy change on Cuba, he acknowledged that he did not have authority to lift the embargo because it is codified in legislation. Moreover, the LIBERTAD Act ties the lifting of the embargo to conditions in Cuba, including that the country has a democratically elected government. Lifting the overall economic embargo would require amending or repealing the LIBERTAD Act as well as other statutes that have provisions impeding normal economic relations with Cuba. \nPresident Trump announced his Administration\u2019s policy on Cuba on June 16, 2017, which partially rolls back some of the Obama Administration\u2019s effort to normalize relations with Cuba. Although the President leaves most Obama-era policy changes in place, two significant changes include restrictions on financial transactions with companies controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services or personnel; and the elimination of individual people-to-people travel. These changes require the Treasury and Commerce Departments to amend the CACR and EAR. \nThis report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive the restrictions. \nFor additional information, see CRS In Focus IF10045, Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview; CRS Report R44822, Cuba: U.S. Policy in the 115th Congress; and CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43888", "sha1": "b2c88619b53c18f42ac1693bfe37684ffde3d962", "filename": "files/20170817_R43888_b2c88619b53c18f42ac1693bfe37684ffde3d962.html", "images": {} }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43888", "sha1": "496064d775bbe4721b6d4322ef92acff2cd8b8bf", "filename": "files/20170817_R43888_496064d775bbe4721b6d4322ef92acff2cd8b8bf.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 458710, "date": "2017-02-03", "retrieved": "2017-02-10T18:23:34.001935", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": "U.S. economic sanctions on Cuba date back to the early 1960s when the Cuban government under Fidel Castro began to build a repressive communist dictatorship and aligned with the Soviet Union. The trade embargo was first imposed in 1962 under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trading with the Enemy Act and soon broadened to include a prohibition on most financial transactions with Cuba. In 1963, the Treasury Department issued the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR); they remain the main body of embargo regulations today, and have been amended many times over the years to reflect changes in policy. In addition, since Cuba is an embargoed country, all exports to Cuba must be authorized by the Department of Commerce as implemented through the Export Administration Regulations (EAR). \nOver the years, Congress enacted additional laws that strengthened the embargo on Cuba, including the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (which codified the embargo regulations), and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Congress also has enacted numerous other provisions of law that impose sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on trade, foreign aid, and support from the international financial institutions.\nIn December 2014, President Obama announced a major shift in U.S. policy toward Cuba, moving away from the longstanding sanctions-based policy toward a policy of engagement and a normalization of relations. The shift included three major components: the rescission of Cuba\u2019s designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism in May 2015; the restoration of diplomatic relations in July 2015; and efforts to increase travel, commerce, and the flow of information to Cuba. In order to implement the third policy component, the Treasury and Commerce Departments eased the embargo regulations (CACR and EAR) five times, most recently in October 2016, in such areas as travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services. \nWhen the President announced his policy change on Cuba, he acknowledged that he did not have authority to lift the embargo because it is codified in legislation. Moreover, the LIBERTAD Act ties the lifting of the embargo to conditions in Cuba, including that the country has a democratically elected government. Lifting the overall economic embargo would require amending or repealing the LIBERTAD Act as well as other statutes that have provisions impeding normal economic relations with Cuba. \nThis report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive the restrictions. \nFor additional information, see CRS In Focus IF10045, Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview; CRS Report R43926, Cuba: Issues and Actions in the 114th Congress; and CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43888", "sha1": "ee2dc033af4553167f349aafa6810cec16bc0fbe", "filename": "files/20170203_R43888_ee2dc033af4553167f349aafa6810cec16bc0fbe.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43888", "sha1": "a3fe0ff3533101503caa5ab44821f4871a11f0f8", "filename": "files/20170203_R43888_a3fe0ff3533101503caa5ab44821f4871a11f0f8.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4847, "name": "Latin America, Caribbean, & Canada" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 442169, "date": "2015-06-05", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:58:33.753165", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": "In December 2014, President Obama announced major changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba, including the restoration of diplomatic relations (relations were severed in January 1961), a review by the Department of State of Cuba\u2019s designation as a state sponsor of terrorism (Cuba was designated in 1982), and an increase in travel, trade, and the free flow of information to Cuba. This third step required the Departments of Commerce and the Treasury to amend the embargo regulations, which were announced on January 15, 2015. \nWhen the President announced his policy change on Cuba, he acknowledged that he does not have authority to lift the embargo because it is codified in legislation. While the embargo was first imposed in the early 1960s under the authority of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 and the Trading with the Enemy Act, Congress enacted additional laws over the years that strengthened the embargo on Cuba, including the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (which codified the embargo regulations), and the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000. Congress also has enacted numerous other provisions of law that impose sanctions on Cuba, including restrictions on trade, foreign aid, and support from the international financial institutions. \nThis report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive these restrictions.\nFor additional information, see CRS Report R43926, Cuba: Issues for the 114th Congress; CRS In Focus IF10045, Cuba: President Obama\u2019s New Policy Approach ; CRS Report R43835, State Sponsors of Acts of International Terrorism\u2014Legislative Parameters: In Brief; and CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43888", "sha1": "d3078d1b9c2b2f66ddb98697390e39c58dd1fc5f", "filename": "files/20150605_R43888_d3078d1b9c2b2f66ddb98697390e39c58dd1fc5f.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43888", "sha1": "55e0ac5f563b497ef974a80116a6a9fd30c86875", "filename": "files/20150605_R43888_55e0ac5f563b497ef974a80116a6a9fd30c86875.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 281, "name": "Latin America and the Caribbean" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc818040/", "id": "R43888_2015May29", "date": "2015-05-29", "retrieved": "2016-03-19T13:57:26", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": null, "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150529_R43888_f4adebfe38d8334caa8b7ffc2975da479bfd4a67.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150529_R43888_f4adebfe38d8334caa8b7ffc2975da479bfd4a67.html" } ], "topics": [] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc501623/", "id": "R43888_2015Feb13", "date": "2015-02-13", "retrieved": "2015-03-30T22:03:27", "title": "Cuba Sanctions: Legislative Restrictions Limiting the Normalization of Relations", "summary": "This report provides information on legislative provisions restricting relations with Cuba. It lists the various provisions of law comprising economic sanctions on Cuba, including key laws that are the statutory basis of the embargo, and provides information on the authority to lift or waive these restrictions.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20150213_R43888_4fbe548ed2102bd023db474cbc88e44c61f1c499.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20150213_R43888_4fbe548ed2102bd023db474cbc88e44c61f1c499.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Sanctions (International law)", "name": "Sanctions (International law)" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Trade", "name": "Trade" } ] } ], "topics": [ "Economic Policy", "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "Latin American Affairs", "National Defense" ] }