Cuba Travel Restrictions
The rule, effective June 30, 2004, further tightened the restrictions on travel to Cuba and established new licensing, programming and participant requirements for educational travel activities to the country. Under the new rules, which dramatically decreased the number of U.S. students studying in Cuba, study abroad programs must meet a number of criteria before they are approved by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control.
View an overview of the sanctions (
84kb)Legislation
110th Congress
House introduces legislation to allow freedom of travel between the United States and Cuba
Updated February 12, 2007
On January 24, 2007, Representative Charles Rangel (D-New York) and Representative Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) introduced HR 654, the Export Freedom to Cuba Act of 2007, which will allow freedom of travel between the United States and Cuba.
The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
House introduces legislation to prohibit funds from being used to restrict academic travel to Cuba
Updated January 17, 2007
On January 4, Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) introduced another measure to prevent the Department of Treasury from using funds to enforce regulations prohibiting travel to Cuba for educational purposes. This is the third straight year such a bill has been proposed.
The bill has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
109th Congress
House defeats amendment on study abroad in Cuba for second straight year
Updated June 16, 2006
On June 14, U.S. House Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) again offered an amendment on the House floor to prohibit funds from the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act for 2007 to enforce travel restrictions to Cuba for students who wish to study abroad. During the debate she reminded Congress that students are one of our most valuable assets in public diplomacy, and that "throughout the Cold War, American students studied in the Soviet Union. Many of them went on to become diplomats, scholars, and policymakers who used the knowledge they gained to contribute to the development and implementation of U.S. foreign policy. Similarly, many Americans are studying in the People's Republic of China today. There is no reason to treat study in Cuba differently."
Lee's amendment was defeated on the House floor.
Read the congressional record (44kb 
) of the debate on the House floor.
Amendment on study abroad in Cuba defeated in House
Updated July 7, 2005
On June 30, U.S. House Representative Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) offered an amendment prohibiting funds from being used to enforce new regulations, promulgated in June of 2004, that severely restrict and in many cases eliminate opportunities for United States students to study abroad in Cuba. Representative Lee stated, “The revised travel regulations take our policy towards Cuba in exactly the wrong direction.... Regulations that have already denied and will continue to deny many American college students the basic opportunity to gain experience, knowledge and insight through study abroad in Cuba should not be funded.” She added, “This is an issue of freedom for our students to travel and gain invaluable experience and educational opportunities that only international study abroad programs can provide.”Lee’s amendment was defeated on the House floor.
Read the congressional record (51kb
) of the debate on the house floor and vote count.
