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Summary

Restrictions on travel to Cuba have been a key and often contentious component in U.S. efforts to isolate the communist government of Fidel Castro for much of the past 40 years. Over time, there have been numerous changes to the restrictions, and for 5 years, from 1977 until 1982, there were no restrictions on travel to Cuba. This report surveys changes to the travel restrictions dating back to the 1960s, summarizes major arguments for and against lifting such restrictions, and tracks legislative initiatives to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba. Major arguments made for lifting the Cuba travel ban are it hinders efforts to influence conditions in Cuba and may be aiding Castro by helping restrict the flow of information; it abridges the rights of ordinary Americans; and Americans can travel to other countries with communist or authoritarian governments. Major arguments in opposition to lifting the Cuba travel ban are American tourist travel would support Castro's rule by providing his government with millions of dollars in tourist receipts; there are legal provisions allowing travel to Cuba for humanitarian purposes that are used by thousands of Americans each year; and the President should be free to restrict travel for foreign policy reasons. In the first session of the 107th Congress, the House voted, in H.R. 2590, the FY2002 Treasury Department appropriation bill, to prohibit Treasury Department funds from being used to administer or enforce the Cuban embargo with respect to any travel or travel-related transaction. The Senate version of the bill, however, did not include the Cuba provision, and the House-Senate conference report on the bill (H.Rept. 107-253) did not include the provision. In the second session, the House-approved version of the FY2003 Treasury Department appropriation measure, H.R. 5120, contained three provisions that would have eased Cuba sanctions, including a provision stating that no funds could be used to administer or enforce Treasury Department regulations with respect to Cuba travel; the Senate version of the measure, S. 2740 (as reported out of committee), included a provision that no funds may be used to enforce the Cuba travel restrictions. The White House indicated that President Bush would veto the Treasury Appropriations measure if it contained provisions weakening sanctions on Cuba. The 107th Congress did not complete final action on the FY2003 Treasury Department bill, so the 108th Congress will need to take early action on the measure. In addition, the 108th Congress will likely see the introduction of a number of legislative initiatives that would ease restrictions on travel to Cuba. This report will be updated to reflect legislative or other major developments. For additional information on Cuba, including a listing and discussion of legislative initiatives, see CRS Report RL30806, Cuba: Issues for Congress. For a comparison of countries for which the U.S. government also maintains travel restrictions ­ Cuba, Iraq, Libya, and North Korea ­ see CRS Report RS21003, Travel Restrictions: U.S. Government Limits on American Citizens' Travel Abroad.

Related Legislation:
• H.R.2590
• H.R.5120
• S.2740
• S.2100

Related Reports:
• RL31139
• RL31139

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