GOP-Led House Votes To Keep Restrictions On Travel To Cuba

FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2015 file photo, a Cuban and U.S. flag stand before the start of a press conference on the sidelines of talks between the two nations in Havana, Cuba. The U.S. hopes to open an embassy in Hava... FILE - In this Jan. 22, 2015 file photo, a Cuban and U.S. flag stand before the start of a press conference on the sidelines of talks between the two nations in Havana, Cuba. The U.S. hopes to open an embassy in Havana before presidents Barack Obama and Raul Castro meet at a regional summit in April, which will be the scene of the presidents’ first face-to-face meeting since they announced on Dec. 17 that they will re-establish diplomatic relations after a half-century of hostility. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, File) MORE LESS
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WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans have voted to keep restrictions on Americans seeking to travel to Cuba. That’s a setback to Obama administration efforts to ease the five-decade Cold War standoff.

The GOP-controlled chamber voted 247-176 to keep a Cuba-related provision in a transportation funding bill. The provision would block new rules issued in January that would significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and allow regularly scheduled flights for the first time.

The administration rules lifted a requirement that U.S. travelers obtain a license from the Treasury Department before traveling to Cuba. Instead, all that is required is for travelers to assert their trip would serve educational, religious or other permitted purposes.

The GOP provision is the handiwork of congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American Republican from the Miami area.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Notable Replies

  1. What a moronic move. The collapse of the Berlin Wall was rapidly escalated by travel and “tourism” restrictions being lifted. This idiotic ineffective Cold War posturing nonsense only makes the GOPer look like the feckless weak cowards that they are.

  2. Shit, I bet the Repubs don’t even know how to masturbate correctly!!

  3. I bet they think Cuba is next to Syria and would become another part of ISIS’ New Caliphate.

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