This past June 18th the House Appropriations Committee passed its FY 2016 Financial Services Appropriations bill. It contains three "Cuba-specific" prohibitions that were drafted by one of the most out-of-touch members of Congress - Mario Diaz-Balart. These prohibitions are a threat to the universally lauded advancements in U.S.-Cuba relations and seek to effectively end president Obama's highly successful "people-to-people" policy that has generated interest among all Americans to go to Cuba and see for themselves the devastating effects of the embargo. These measures will also hurt Cubans on the island who have benefited by the influx of tourism.
How can Diaz-Balart claim he is a champion for the Cuban people when 97% of them are in favor of normalization? His judgement is clouded by his family's involvement with Fulgencio Batista, a dictator who suspended democracy in Cuba. Regarding Cuba, it's personal with him and that long-standing vendetta is getting in the way of the inevitable process of normalization. here
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