New Cuba bill puts a strain on U.S.-Caribbean relations
By Wazim Mowla / July 16, 2020
A new bill proposed in the United States Senate titled, “Cut Profits to the Cuban Regime Act of 2020,” has put Caribbean states in the line of fire as lawmakers look to advance U.S. policy toward Cuba during the COVID-19 pandemic; a move that has the potential to strain U.S. relations with Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries.
The bill, introduced by Republican Senators Rick Scott (Florida), Marco Rubio (Florida), and Ted Cruz (Texas), would require the U.S. Department of State to release the list of countries that contract with Cuba for their medical missions program, and ensures that such contracts are considered in the annual U.S. Trafficking in Persons report rankings.
In short, the bill would effectively stifle the revenue received by Cuba from its medical missions and punish recipient countries to appease President Donald Trump’s key South Florida base as the 2020 U.S. presidential election gets closer. While the bill focuses on Cuba, its contents have extraterritorial and harmful effects on countries in the Caribbean, who without Cuba’s medical support, are unlikely to have tackled the COVID-19 pandemic as swiftly as they have.
The decision of CARICOM states to invite, at one point, more than 500 Cuban medical personnel into their respective countries, was pragmatic. At the time, this was against the backdrop of insufficient support from richer countries, such as the United States. Given the recent rhetoric of U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, who earlier in the year stated that “it’s time for a deeper relationship” between the United States and Caribbean nations, one would think the United States would have been more forthcoming in its support for the region during the pandemic. The support never came, and so the Caribbean turned to its longtime partner, Cuba, for support.
More:
https://theglobalamericans.org/2020/07/new-cuba-bill-puts-a-strain-on-u-s-caribbean-relations/?fbclid=IwAR0DfkPE1c6nkhoiGWqHHM2_JsdF9AZcodk9TV0I25_HdMUAUyAWhO9PHHk
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