WASHINGTON, D.C. (NAFB) – Democrats in the Senate last week introduced a bill to end the U.S. embargo on Cuba.

Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden of Oregon introduced the U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2021 to repeal sanctions on Cuba and establish normal trade relations with the island nation.

Wyden stated, “To continue this outdated, harmful policy of isolation would be a failure of American leadership.”

The embargo was first placed on Cuba in 1962. President Barack Obama attempted to normalize relations with Cuba, but President Donald Trump re-enforced regulations previously eased by Obama.

The U.S.-Cuba Trade Act of 2021 would repeal the major statutes that codify sanctions against Cuba, including the Helms-Burton Act and the Cuban Democracy Act, as well as other provisions that affect trade, investment and travel with Cuba. It would also establish normal trade relations with the country. Senate Democrats Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Richard Durban of Illinois, and Jeff Merkley of Oregon Joined Wyden on the bill.