Take Action: End the U.S. Embargo of Cuba
The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645) just passed the House Agriculture Committee by a vote of 25 to 20, which means we could see a vote in the House of Representatives within days. There hasn't been an up-or-down vote in Congress on a stand-alone piece of legislation to restore U.S. citizens' right to travel to Cuba in the entire past decade. Instead, travel restrictions have only gotten tighter, which has made it much harder for CRC congregations and agencies to do work in Cuba. This week, that could change--we have a real chance to pass H.R. 4645, thus creating momentum for the Senate to act. But to make it happen, we need you to take action! Due to an inconsistent policy relic of the Cold War era, Cuba is only country in the world to which Americans do not have the right to travel without the special permission of the U.S. government. Such travel restrictions significantly restrain religious freedom: even missionaries face criminal prosecution by the U.S. government for visiting Cuba without a permit. While the Cuban government has a poor human rights record, the U.S. does not restrict travel to other countries with similar or worse behavior: North Korea, China, Myanmar, Sudan, and Iran. Instead of hurting the Cuban government, the embargo has punished the weak, the poor, and the powerless—particularly children and the elderly. Our embargo has not effected change, it has not been consistent with our other foreign policy, and it has caused undue hardship for the Cuban people by hurting the most vulnerable. It is time for a change, but it won't happen without your voice! What is the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act?The Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645/S. 3112) is a bi-partisan bill that would completely repeal the restrictions on travel to and from Cuba by U.S. Citizens and Legal Permanent Residents.
The bill would also allow for the export of U.S. agricultural commodities to Cuba. Why does the CRC advocate for an end to the embargo?The CRCNA has a long history of support for Cuban Christian Reformed churches. Christian Reformed World Missions (CRWM) began working in Cuba in the 1950s but could not maintain a missionary presence after 1960 due to the Castro-led revolution. However, CRWM continued its support for the CRC of Cuba through periodic visits, financial grants, and prayer. Today the CRC of Cuba consists of 12 churches and continues to grow despite restrictions on civil society and religious freedom. For more than a decade, the CRCNA has advocated on behalf of the Cuban CRC for an end to the U.S.'s unilateral embargo of Cuba. In 1998, the CRCNA recevied a request from the Synod of the Cuban CRC for assistance in communicating to the U.S. government how the embargo hurt the Cuban people. "As a Church, the feeling of the majority is that this is an injustice that causes suffering for the very weakest people. For this reason, we condemn it and pray to God that it disappears very soon." In addition, the U.S.'s travel restrictions have reduced the capacity of CRC agencies to carry out their mandate and have disrupted fellowship between churches with long historical relationships. Working in Cuba has become even more challenging since the Bush Administration increased restrictions on travel licenses for religious organizations in 2004. As a result of the new restrictions, many CRC trips to Cuba in support of our Cuban brothers and sisters have had to be canceled when travel licenses did not come through. To learn more, read Ending the U.S. Embargo on Cuba, an article from the April 2010 Banner. What can you do?Tell the US government that it’s time to take the first step towards ending the embargo! Call or email your Representative and ask them to vote in favor of the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act (H.R. 4645/S. 3112). Ending the Cuba travel ban is gaining broad bi-partisan support in Congress, and among the American public. In fact, many policymakers informed OSJ in recent meetings that they would like to hear from more constituents on this issue. While there is positive momentum to end the travel restrictions, your voice is crucial in ensuring that this outdated 50-year-old policy is finally ended this year! How do you contact your Representative?
What should you say to your Representative?First, click to see if your Representative has become co-sponsor of this bill. If so, you should still contact them to thank them for their support. If not, explain why this bill is important to you! Advocating is easy! Just use these script when you call: "Hi, my name is ____________ and I'm a constituent of Representative ____________. As a member of the Christian Reformed Church, I'm calling to ask my representative to vote in favor of H.R. 4645, the Travel Restriction Reform and Export Enhancement Act. This bill would restore my right as a U.S. citizen to travel to Cuba, and would end the restrictions that have hindered the work my denomination does in Cuba, including the work of missionaries. The bill would also cut the red tape that U.S. farmers currently must deal with to send agricultural products to Cuba, creating more than 6,000 jobs and helping put food on Cuban's tables. Please call me back right away at (your phone number) to let me know how my representative will vote. Thank you." Here are some additional talking points to include in an email:
For more helpful tips about how to call or email your Representative, check out OSJ's advocacy guide. If you do contact your reps, please let us know! Email osjha@crcna.org with your story, or visit www.crcjustice.org to find our social networking options. |
The CRCNA is a longtime advocate for an end to the U.S.'s unilateral embargo on Cuba. And this week, we have an critical opportunity to finally restore U.S. citizens' right to travel to Cuba and ease restrictions on the export of U.S. agricultural commodities. Join us by raising your voice today!