Today, the DC Council will vote on resolution PR25-0113, "Sense of the Council on the Restoration of Cuban American Relations Resolution of 2023." Councilmembers White, Bonds, Nadeau, McDuffie, Gray, and Lewis George introduced the resolution co-sponsored by Councilmember Allen. The goal of the DC Council's resolution is to declare the Council's opinion that the United States should end the economic blockade of Cuba and remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. The resolution emphasizes how the embargo has harmed the Cuban people. It references the history of the blockade, including steps by previous administrations to improve relations, the imposition of new sanctions, and Cuba's re-inclusion on the State Sponsors of Terrorism list during the Trump administration.
The resolution asserts that lifting the sanctions and normalizing relations would benefit both nations and ease hardships faced by the Cuban people, such as shortages of medical equipment and restrictions on humanitarian assistance. It also emphasizes the adverse economic impacts of the embargo on both Cuba and the United States and the limitations it imposes on trade and access to technology.
PR25-0113 cites the United Nations' repeated condemnation of the US embargo and the numerous resolutions passed by various organizations in the United States calling for its end. The resolution states that President Biden and Congress should take necessary steps to end the blockade and remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list.
The vote on the resolution is today at noon or directly after the Committee of the Whole meeting.