House GOP bill blocks new air flights, cruise ships to Cuba

Associated Press ^ | Apr 28, 2015 2:06 PM EDT | Andrew Taylor

[Olog-hai]

House Republicans unveiled legislation on Tuesday to sharply curb the Obama administration’s recent moves to ease restrictions on travel to Cuba.

The provision by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, a Cuban-American from Florida, would block new flights and cruise ship travel to Cuba. The provision was attached to a must-pass transportation spending bill that the House will consider next month.

Diaz-Balart’s move comes in response to new rules issued by the administration in January that would significantly ease travel restrictions to Cuba and permit regularly scheduled flights for the first time, the result of a rapprochement after a half century of Cold War animosity.

Diaz-Balart said that the Obama administration is skirting U.S. law, which bans tourist travel to Cuba. …

[C. Edmund Wright]

None of these cruise ships have US flags - mostly Liberian registration - not sure the Congress can stop them.

[dp0622]

Opening doors to China worked out great for China, same with India, never seems to work out to well for us. But I could be wrong. I'm sure there are aspects of the agreements I don't understand fully.
I do Know that the Indian Graphics center my company opened to replace us folded like a cheap tent after two years of horrible output.

[Olog-hai]

You’re not wrong. Trading with tyrants always benefits the tyrants and works to the detriment, and eventual conquest, of the suckers.

[Beowulf9]

It’s funny because I was just reading today:

http://vault.fbi.gov/Weather%20Underground%20%28Weathermen%29/Weather%20Underground%20%28Weathermen%29%20Part%202%20of%206/view

[dp0622]

Freepers have a lot of knowledge and I am always open to the other side’s opinion, but things haven’t gone well with China and India, except for a few. You are right.

[MeganC]

“None of these cruise ships have US flags - mostly Liberian registration - not sure the Congress can stop them.”

Congress can prohibit cruise ships from having itineraries that include both US and Cuban ports. There’s never been anything stopping cruise ships from stopping in Cuba so long as they do not also stop in the US on that same itinerary.

[DoodleDawg]

"Congress cannot look away as the president implements policies that channel dollars to an anti-American dictatorship," Diaz-Balart said.

And yet the GOP plan would do the same allowing the import of limited amounts of goods like cigars and rum.

[Fungi]

Mitch McDumbo and John “bonehead—orangeman” Boehner are feckless, having joined the ranks of the feckless fool on the hill. This is largely a meaningless gesture to say to the base they are doing “something.” Meanwhile, Lynch the liar has been sworn into office of the Unjust “justice dept,” Obamacare rolls on and amnesty was never challenged as the Bonehead said it would be. What nonsense.

[Falcon4.0]

Ok Freeper’s.
This is the cave-pool.
How long until the republicans cave in on this challenge?

[wally_bert]

Any ghost registrations on Liberian ships? More than one ship under the same name while sporting the Liberian flag.

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

Senate Dems will strip the amendment out and then goes back to House and then cave.

[C. Edmund Wright]

Interesting...under what authority?

[MeganC]

There’s several pieces of legislation at play with the Cuban Embargo which is why the Obama administration can’t simply void these laws with a wave of Obummer’s magic wand.

Wiki has a good summary here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_embargo_against_Cuba

The US Coast Guard enforces the embargo by preventing cargo ships from making direct passages from Cuban ports to US ports and vice versa (although the latter part is not so easy to enforce).

With cruise ships they have to publish their itineraries and it then becomes a simple matter to stop a cruise ship from running an itinerary that includes both US & Cuban ports. The Coast Guard would simply refuse to grant that cruise ship access to US ports. The cruise line could end up being sanctioned and refused access to all US ports.

Cuba actually has a website of their own that details what I just posted:

http://www.havana-guide.com/cuba-cruise.html

[C. Edmund Wright]

Thanks for the info...the law of the sea is a complicated beast.

[MeganC]

It is! While I’m in favor of eventually lifting the embargo I still agree with the reasons why it was implemented and it should not be lifted until and unless the Castro regime restores freedom and liberty in the country.

[C. Edmund Wright]

I agree with that - it just struck me on my first cruise - some 20 years ago now, how little these ships and these lines have to do with the USA. Most of the passengers on most lines are American, but these are not American businesses in any way, shape or form. Almost no American captains, very few American staff.

But many of the ports are in the US, so I guess that’s the leverage.

[Dagnabitt]

The latest shiny object for us to look at.

Meanwhile, the GOP funds Obama's amnesty attack on our homeland.

[Olog-hai]

If they serve American ports with the purpose of transporting people to Cuba, they do not have “little to do with the USA”. Do they have to be US companies?

[C. Edmund Wright]

Not sure what you mean by “purpose of transporting people to Cuba” - that’s not what Cruise lines do. I’m not talking about traffickers.

Cruise Lines seem to have very little to do with United States rules or regs - but obviously there are rules and regs in the US ports.