October 22, 2024 – A letter addressed to President Biden has been published today in the NY Times, urging him to overturn Trump’s harsh Cuba policy during his final 90 days in office while Cuba is simultaneously going through a severe energy crisis and the aftermath of a hurricane.
Despite calls for a return to the normalization efforts of President Obama, Biden has upheld Trump’s stringent measures, which include 243 additional sanctions and designating Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism. These policies have inflicted over $164 billion in damages on Cuba over the last six decades, with more than $5 billion in losses reported in just the past year (March 2023–February 2024).
The current nationwide blackout in Cuba, attributed to the restrictions on shipments of fuel and spare parts by U.S. sanctions, makes the situation for the Cuban people even more dire—the letter emphasizes that this policy harms the Cuban people, not just the government. The letter states, “With only 90 days left in your term, you can lift these damaging measures. Removing the terrorism designation would enable Cuba to restore its electrical grid and address critical shortages of food and medicine…This blackout underscores the U.S. legacy of suffering in Cuba. It’s not too late to change this reality with a simple signature. Let Cuba Live!”
The letter’s demand is supported by a growing chorus of international leaders and consistent UN General Assembly resolutions advocating to remove the State Sponsor of Terrorism designation and for an end to the U.S. embargo of Cuba. The UN is scheduled to take on its yearly vote on the resolution to lift the embargo next week.
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