Industry News

Sanctions against Cuba Continue

September 9, 2014


    On September 5, 2014, President Obama re-authorized the sanctions on Cuba under the Trading with the Enemy Act for another year.  A statement released by the Office of the Press Secretary from President Obama stated that the continuation was “in the national interest of the United States.”  The Trading with the Enemy Act was enacted in October 1917 and prohibits transport of goods to and from a country that is designated as an enemy under the Act.  John F. Kennedy was the first president to use the Act against Cuba in 1960 and each succeeding president has continued to renew the action.  

    Limited exports to Cuba are permitted through the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.  The Act, which was signed by President Bill Clinton, permitted certain medicines and medical devices as well as designated agricultural products to be exported from the US to Cuba.

    There are several other acts that restrict US trade with Cuba, including the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, the Cuba Assets Control Regulations of 1963, the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992, and the Helms–Burton Act of 1996.  

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