NEW MODEL Resolutions
A Resolution Urging that Cuba Be Removed from U.S. List of State Sponsors of Terrorism
WHEREAS: President Biden has the authority to remove Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terrorism list by executive order, and to recommit to the normalization of relations with Cuba begun by the Obama-Biden administration; and
WHEREAS: For the past 62 years, the United States has imposed an economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba that prevents most engagement and trade with the United States, and punishes other countries that engage with Cuba; and
WHEREAS: The consequences of this embargo continues to inflict daily hardships and deprivations on the Cuban people creating shortages of basic necessities like food and medicine, and severely restricting international financial and trade opportunities. It prevents Cuba from obtaining vital medical equipment and supplies, and even impedes humanitarian aid responses to catastrophic events like Hurricane Ian which devastated both Florida and Cuba, thus harming the Cuban people who President Biden’s administration claims to support; and
WHEREAS: The United Nations in 2017 estimated that this embargo had cost the Cuban economy $130 billion, averaging more than $2 billion each year; and
WHEREAS: The United Nations General Assembly voted to condemn the U.S. embargo against Cuba, for the 30th time, on Nov. 3, 2022, with 185 of 193 nations decisively voting in favor, and only the United States and Israel opposed; and
WHEREAS: The Trump administration imposed 243 new sanctions upon Cuba, including restrictions on Cuban Americans who send remittances to families and businesses in Cuba. These sanctions contribute to a mass migration of Cubans, creating U.S. border security concerns; and
WHEREAS: Former President Trump arbitrarily reinstated Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism less than a week after the January 6th attempted coup, reversed the Obama-Biden administration’s 2015 decision to remove this status after an exhaustive review by the U.S. State Department. Cuba does not satisfy any criteria for inclusion on this list; and
WHEREAS: Cuba’s arbitrary designation has subjected them to further sanctions and international financial restrictions that limit the nation’s ability to carry out critical financial transactions, including those needed to advance efforts to combat the COVID pandemic and improve its economy; and
WHEREAS: In 2021, 117 members of the U.S. Congress called for the removal of Cuba from this list noting in a letter; “a policy of engagement with Cuba serves U.S. interests and those of the Cuban people,”
Therefore:
Be it RESOLVED that ____________________________ strongly urges President Biden and Congress, each federal representative in its jurisdiction, to call on the federal government to remove Cuba from the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism; and
Be It Further RESOLVED that ___________________________ urges our congressional delegation to pass legislation that will eliminate those aspects of the embargo that have been codified into law; and remove all sanctions against Cuba by the United States. Allow the peoples of the United States and Cuba to travel and trade freely between the countries.
Be It Further RESOLVED that ___________________________issues a press release regarding the details of this resolution to its media contacts within its jurisdiction.
A Resolution Calling Upon the United States Government to Normalize Diplomatic and Economic Relations with Cuba
WHEREAS, beginning in October 1960, the United States government imposed an economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba that not only prevents most engagement and trade with the United States, but also punishes other countries that continue to engage with Cuba; and
WHEREAS, this embargo continues to inflict extreme hardship on the Cuban people by creating shortages of food and medicine, severely restricting financial and trade opportunities and has even prevented Cuba from obtaining medical equipment and supplies to address the COVID-10 pandemic; and
WHEREAS, both the Cuban government and the United Nations have estimated that the embargo has cost the Cuban economy $130 billion over six decades; and
WHEREAS, in December 2014, President Barack Obama and then-Cuban President Raúl Castro announced that they would begin normalizing relations between the two countries and would establish diplomatic relations, an agreement that was enthusiastically embraced by the Cuban people; and
WHEREAS, President Obama removed Cuba from the United States state sponsors of terrorism list; and
WHEREAS, most Americans, including Cuban Americans, oppose the United States embargo and tens of thousands have visited the island when travel restrictions were relaxed; and
WHEREAS, the Trump administration imposed 243 new sanctions upon Cuba, including restrictions on Cuban-Americans to send remittances to families and businesses in Cuba, and reinstated Cuba to the state sponsor of terrorism list; and
WHEREAS, for each of the last 29 years, the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly voted to support the end of the United States blockade against Cuba; and
WHEREAS, despite campaign promises, President Biden has failed to reverse the sanctions that former President Trump imposed on Cuba;
Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved that _____________________ urge(s) President Biden to restore diplomatic relations with Cuba, including restoring the full operations of the United States Embassy in Havana; and that the well-being of the Cuban people shall be the centerpiece of United States policies towards Cuba; and
Be It Further Resolved that __________________urge(s) President Biden and Congress to remove Cuba from the United States list of state sponsors of terrorism; and to immediately close the United States military base at Guantanamo Bay and return the occupied territory in Guantanamo to Cuba; and
Be It Further Resolved that ______________________ urge(s) President Biden and Congress to immediately reverse all sanctions against Cuba by the United States and end all aspects of the United States embargo against Cuba, including restrictions on travel to Cuba by U.S. citizens and residents, so that the peoples of Cuba and the United States can freely travel between the countries.
