Here's a new Congressional Research Service (CRS) report by Mark Sullivan: Cuba: Issues for the 110th Congress (July 5, 2007). Here's the executive summary (after division into shorter paragraphs):
Since the early 1960s, U.S. policy toward Cuba under Fidel Castro has consisted largely of isolating the communist nation through comprehensive economic sanctions, which have been significantly tightened by the Bush Administration, including restrictions on travel, private humanitarian assistance, and payment terms for U.S. agricultural exports to Cuba.
A second component of U.S. policy has consisted of support measures for the Cuban people, including private humanitarian donations and U.S.-sponsored radio and television broadcasting to Cuba.
As in past years, the main issue for U.S. policy toward Cuba in the 110th Congress will be how to best support political and economic change in one of the world's remaining communist nations. Unlike past years, however, Congress is now examining policy toward Cuba in the context of Fidel Castro's temporary, and potentially permanent, departure from the political scene because of health conditions.
Over the past several years, one or both houses have at times approved legislative provisions that would ease U.S. sanctions on Cuba, but ultimately these provisions have been stripped out of the final enacted measures. President Bush has regularly threatened to veto various appropriations bills if they contained provisions weakening the embargo.
In the 110th Congress, the House-passed version of the FY2008 Financial Services and General Government appropriations bill, H.R. 2829, has a provision that would prevent funds from being used to implement a February 2005 tightening of policy requiring the payment of cash in advance prior to the shipment of U.S. agricultural goods to Cuba.
Several other initiatives would ease Cuba sanctions: H.R. 177 (educational travel), H.R. 216 (Cuban baseball players), H.R. 217 and H.R. 624 (overall sanctions), H.R. 654, S. 554, and S. 721 (travel), H.R. 757 (family travel and remittances), H.R. 1026 ( sale of U.S. agricultural products), H.R. 2819/S. 1673 (sale of U.S. agricultural and medical products and travel), and S. 1268 (development of Cuba's offshore oil).
S. 554 also would terminate U.S.-government sponsored television broadcasting to Cuba. Several initiatives would tighten sanctions: H.R. 525 (related to U.S. fugitives in Cuba), and H.R. 1679/S. 876 (related to Cuba's offshore oil development).
Two initiatives, H.R. 1306 and S. 749, would amend a provision of law restricting the registration or enforcement of certain Cuban trademarks; H.R. 217, H.R. 624, H.R. 2819, and S. 1673 would repeal the trademark sanction.
The House-passed version of the FY2008 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill, H.R. 2764, would fully fund the Administration's request for $45.7 million for Cuba democracy programs, while the draft Senate Appropriations Committee report to the bill would recommend $15 million for such programs.
The House-passed version would prohibit funding for counternarcotics cooperation with Cuba, while the draft Senate version would provide $1 million. Both versions would provide $33.681 million for Cuba broadcasting, $5 million less than the request, but the same provided for FY2007.
This report will be updated regularly. Also see CRS Report RL31139, Cuba: U.S. Restrictions on Travel and Remittances; CRS Report RS20468, Cuban Migration Policy and Issues; and CRS Report RL33622, Cuba's Future Political Scenarios and U.S. Policy Approaches.
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