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Congress Leaves Cuba Travel Ban Alone Jim Burns, CNSNews.comThe U.S. ban on Americans traveling to Cuba remains in effect, for the time being. Congressional negotiators Thursday killed an amendment to an appropriations bill that would have repealed the 40-year-old ban on Americans traveling to Cuba. Insiders predict there will be no more attempts to lift the ban this year. House and Senate negotiators dropped the Cuba ban from a $33 billion bill to fund the Treasury Department and other government operations. Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who favored dropping the travel ban, blamed the inaction on last month's terrorist attacks. "The Senate agreed not to attach anything controversial to its bill. The timing wasn't good," he said. Flake met with Fidel Castro in Cuba last month. He is still confident that Congress eventually will lift the travel ban. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., a Cuban exile and outspoken Castro critic, was happy that the travel ban will stand. It will deprive the Castro regime of much-needed funds, she said. She called Cuba a "state sponsor of terrorism ... which is involved in sharing intelligence with terrorists with links to Osama bin Laden." President Bush continues to adamantly oppose lifting the travel ban and economic sanctions against Cuba until Castro calls for free elections and releases political prisoners. But even though the travel ban remains in effect, Continental Airlines in Miami announced Thursday that its Continental Connection would begin providing 20 additional weekly charter flights to Cuba beginning Nov. 1. Most flights will originate from Miami, because it is one of the few U.S. cities allowed to have airline connections with Cuba. Only Americans with permission from the U.S. government can take the charter flights. American journalists, humanitarian workers, academic researchers and some Cuban-Americans usually are granted permission, which allows them passage on the charter flights. Those without permission can fly to another country such as Mexico or Jamaica to reach Cuba, but they risk being fined by the U.S. government. Copyright CNSNews.com
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