Trump Ready to Change US-Cuba Policy, and His Decision Has Bipartisan Support

May 31, 2017
9:37 AM

The Daily Caller reported Monday that President Trump will rollback President Obama’s Cuba policy and the shift in policy is bipartisan in nature:

Two sources told TheDC that the development is due to the behind-the-scenes efforts of Republican Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, Democratic New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez and Republican Florida Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart.

This information coming from an anti-embargo group, which spoke on the condition of anonymity, was confirmed Sunday by John Kavulich of the nonpartisan U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council. “The Trump Administration has been ‘ready’ since February 2017 to announce changes, but issues unrelated to Cuba have intervened,” Kavulich said.

On Wednesday morning, CNN added more details about this policy shift, reporting that it could happen as early as June (which starts on Thursday, FYI), although it reported that “Trump is not expected to reverse all of the Obama changes.” As per CNN:

But, current and former US officials say, Trump is looking to make a symbolic gesture that will fulfill his campaign promises to conservative Cuban-American voters and anti-Castro members of Congress without closing the door on Cuba’s emerging market for US businesses.

“I’m 1,000 percent sure the president is going to deliver on his commitment,” Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Florida), who has lobbied the White House to reverse the Obama policy, told the National Journal in May. “I have no doubt that you’re going to see in short order a different policy.”