Updated September 3, 2021
Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview
Cuban Political and Economic Developments
and assembly. The government responded with harsh
Cuba remains a one-party authoritarian state with a
measures, including widespread detentions of hundreds of
government that has sharply restricted freedoms of
protesters, activists, and journalists, according to Cuban
expression, association, assembly, and other basic human
human rights groups, which reported summary trials for
rights since the early years of the 1959 Cuban revolution.
some of those detained. The government blocked access to
social media and messaging platforms that had been
Current President Miguel Díaz-Canel succeeded Raúl
instrumental in bringing Cubans to the streets. As of
Castro in 2018. In April 2021, Díaz-Canel also succeeded
September 1, 2021, the human rights group Cuban
Castro as head of the Cuban Communist Party (PCC) at its
Prisoners Defenders (CPD) reported 381 political prisoners
eighth party congress. The departure of Castro and other
(up from 152 on July 1), with 251 imprisoned and
older leaders from the PCC’s Politburo reflects the
considered prisoners of conscience by CPD, 92 under
generational change in Cuban leadership that began several
conditional release, and 38 imprisoned for other politically
years ago. While in power (2006-2018), Raúl Castro began
motivated acts.
to move Cuba toward a more mixed economy with a
stronger private sector, but his government’s slow,
U.S. Policy
gradualist approach did not produce major improvements.
Since the early 1960s, when the United States imposed a
Cuba adopted a new constitution in 2019 that introduced
trade embargo on Cuba, the centerpiece of U.S. policy
some reforms but maintained the state’s dominance over the
toward Cuba has consisted of economic sanctions aimed at
economy and the PCC’s predominant political role.
isolating the Cuban government.
The Cuban economy is being hard-hit by the economic
In late 2014, the Obama Administration initiated a policy
shutdown associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019
shift away from sanctions and toward engagement and the
(COVID-19) pandemic; Venezuela’s economic crisis,
normalization of relations. Changes included the rescission
which has reduced Venezuelan financial support; and U.S.
of Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of international
economic sanctions. The Cuban government reports the
terrorism (May 2015); the restoration of diplomatic
economy contracted 11% in 2020, and the Economist
relations (July 2015); and an easing of restrictions on travel,
Intelligence Unit projects 2.2% growth in 2021. In January
remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and
2021, Cuba eliminated its dual currency system; the long-
financial services (2015-2016). The restoration of relations
debated reform has spurred inflation, but economists
led to increased government-to-government engagement,
maintain it should boost productivity in the long term.
with over 20 bilateral agreements and numerous dialogues.
Cuba’s public health response to the pandemic initially kept
President Trump unveiled his Administration’s Cuba policy
cases and deaths low, but both increased in late 2020 and
in 2017, issuing a national security presidential
have surged in 2021. As of September 3, 2021, the country
memorandum that introduced new sanctions, including
reported over 5,400 deaths, with a mortality rate of 47 per
restrictions on transactions with companies controlled by
100,000 people, according to Johns Hopkins University.
the Cuban military. By 2019, the Trump Administration had
Cuba has produced two vaccines, but at the end of August
largely abandoned engagement and significantly increased
said that it would also start using a vaccine from China. As
sanctions, particularly on travel and remittances, to pressure
of September 3, 2021, Cuba had fully vaccinated 35% of its
Cuba on human rights and for its support of the Venezuelan
population, afar from its goal of 70% by the end of August.
government of Nicolás Maduro.
Beginning in November 2020, the government cracked
The Biden Administration has been conducting a review of
down strongly on the San Isidro Movement (MSI), a civil
policy toward Cuba. The White House press secretary said
society group opposed to restrictions on artistic expression.
on March 9, 2021, that although a Cuba policy shift was not
Motivated by the repression of the MSI, in February 2021, a
among the President’s top priorities, the Administration was
group of well-known Cuban hip-hop recording artists
“committed to making human rights a core pillar” of policy
released a song and music video, Patria y Vida, critical of
and would review policy decisions made in the prior
the government that became an instant hit.
administration, including the decision to designate Cuba as
a state sponsor of terrorism. In May, the State Department
On July 11, 2021, widespread anti-government
renewed Cuba’s designation as a country not cooperating
demonstrations broke out in Havana and in cities and towns
fully with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts. On July 1, it cited
throughout the country, with thousands of Cubans
Cuba for labor abuses associated with its foreign medical
protesting shortages of food and medicine, daily blackouts,
missions and continued to rank Cuba as Tier 3, the worst
and slow progress on COVID-19 vaccinations and long-
ranking, in its 2021 Trafficking in Persons report.
standing concerns about the lack of freedom of expression
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Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview
After Cuba’s July 11 protests, President Biden and other
Blinken included Cuba on the annual list in May 2021. In
Administration officials expressed solidarity with the
January 2021, pursuant to several laws, Pompeo designated
protesters and strongly criticized the Cuban government for
the Cuban government as a state sponsor of international
its repressive response. The Treasury Department imposed
terrorism, citing Cuba’s harboring several U.S. fugitives
targeted sanctions on several Cuban security officials and
and members of Colombia’s National Liberation Army.
entities (see below). The State Department joined with 20
countries to condemn the Cuban government’s mass arrests
Injuries of U.S. Embassy Personnel
and detention of protestors. Among other actions, the
Between late 2016 and May 2018, 26 U.S. Embassy
Administration established a working group to identify
Havana community members suffered a series of
effective ways to get remittances directly to the Cuban
unexplained injuries, including hearing loss and cognitive
people, held engagement sessions with members of the
issues. The State Department maintains the investigation
Cuban American community, began reviewing plans to
into the injuries has not reached a conclusion regarding the
increase staffing at the U.S. Embassy in Havana to facilitate
cause or source. In December 2020, the National
consular services and civil society engagement with civil,
Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
and began collaborating with the private sector to identify
released a report concluding the most plausible mechanism
ways to ensure Cuban citizens have internet access.
for the source of the health symptoms was directed pulsed
radio frequency energy. In June 2021, the Secretary of State
Selected U.S. Sanctions Imposed Since 2017
said the National Security Council was leading a
Restrictions on Transactions with the Cuban Military.
government-wide review.
In 2017, the State Department published a list of entities
controlled by the Cuban military, intelligence, or security
117th Congress: Legislative Initiatives
services with which direct financial transactions would
Congress has begun consideration of the Administration’s
disproportionately benefit those services or personnel at the
FY2022 request of $20 million for Cuba democracy and
expense of the Cuban people or private enterprise. Last
human rights programming (same as appropriated annually
updated in January 2021, this “Cuba restricted list” includes
since FY2014) and $12.973 million for Cuba broadcasting
231 entities (ministries, hotels, and numerous businesses).
(same as appropriated in FY2021). On July 28, the House
approved its version of the foreign operations
Efforts to Stop Venezuelan Oil Exports to Cuba. In
appropriations bill, H.R. 4373 (H.Rept. 117-84), which
2019, Treasury imposed sanctions on several shipping
would fully fund both programs at the requested amounts.
companies and vessels that transported Venezuelan oil to
Of the $20 million for Cuba democracy programs, not less
Cuba and Cuba’s oil import-export company.
than $5 million would be designated to support free
enterprise, private business organizations, and people-to-
Restrictions on Travel and Remittances. Since 2019, the
people and cultural activities.
United States has imposed an array of restrictions on travel
and remittances. On travel, these have included eliminating
The Senate has approved three Cuba human rights
people-to-people educational travel, prohibiting cruise ships
resolutions: in April, S.Res. 37, expressing solidarity with
and private and corporate aircraft from going to Cuba,
the MSI; in May, S.Res. 81, honoring Las Damas de
suspending commercial flights to cites other than Havana,
Blanco, a woman-led human rights group; and in August,
and prohibiting U.S. travelers from staying at over 400
S.Res. 310, expressing solidarity with Cubans
hotels and private residences identified by the State
demonstrating peacefully, condemning the government’s
Department as owned or controlled by the Cuban
repression, and calling for the release of those detained. The
government. On remittances, Treasury capped family
Senate also approved S. 2045 in July, which would rename
remittances to $1,000 per quarter per Cuban national;
the street in front of the Cuban Embassy after a Cuban
eliminated donative remittances; and prohibited the
democracy activist.
processing of remittances through entities on the “Cuba
restricted list,” which resulted in Western Union ceasing its
Among other introduced bills, H.R. 198 would permit
operations in Cuba in November 2020.
Cuban nationals to play U.S. professional baseball; H.R.
287 and S. 689 would prohibit the rescission of Cuba’s
Targeted Human Rights Sanctions. Under the Trump
designation as a state sponsor of terrorism until Cuba
Administration, the State and Treasury Departments
satisfies certain conditions; H.R. 2684 would establish a
imposed targeted sanctions on several Cuban high-ranking
Cuban family reunification parole program; S. 249 and
Cuban officials and the Ministry of the Interior. Under the
H.R. 3625 would lift economic sanctions; S. 1694 would
Biden Administration, in the aftermath of the July 11
lift trade restrictions; S. 2138 would allow certain Cuban
protests, the Treasury Department imposed four rounds of
medical personnel working in third countries admission into
targeted financial sanctions, from July 22 to August 19, on
the United States; and H.R. 5069 would direct the Secretary
three Cuban security entities and eight security officials
of State to facilitate unrestricted internet access in Cuba.
involved in actions to suppress the protests.
Also see CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on
Terrorism Designations. In May 2020, then-Secretary of
Travel and Remittances; and CRS Report R45657, Cuba:
State Pompeo (pursuant to the Arms Export Control Act)
U.S. Policy in the 116th Congress and Through the Trump
included Cuba in the annual list of countries certified as not
Administration.
cooperating fully with U.S. anti-terrorism efforts for the
first time since 2015. As noted, Secretary of State Antony
Mark P. Sullivan, Specialist in Latin American Affairs
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Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview
IF10045
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