Democratic Rep McGovern Introduces Bill To 'Repeal The U.S. Embargo Against Cuba': 'Let's Try Something Different'

Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern introduced a bill to "repeal the U.S. embargo against Cuba," saying that the country should change its "failed, obsolete, Cold-War thinking towards" the country.

"Our 60+ year embargo has been ineffective and counterproductive—it hurts the Cuban people, it strengthens hardliners, it gives rise to more refugees, and it undercuts our standing in the world," McGovern said in a social media publication.

"We have tried the same thing for over 60 years—and it has failed for over 60 years. Let's try something different—let's open things up! Let's lift the embargo, giving US businesses, entrepreneurs, tourists, and universities more access. Let's push for freedom and democracy through diplomacy and engagement. Let's let Cubans who live on the island decide their own future—not Marco Rubio or Donald Trump," the lawmaker added.

The bill in question would "repeal or amend several laws codified over decades that restrict trade, exchange, telecommunications, and travel with Cuba," McGovern said on his website. He noted that a similar bill was introduced by Democratic colleagues in the Senate Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, from Oregon.

"The Trump administration says they want to curtail migration, but their own hardline approach only incentivizes migration to the United States by making living conditions worse in Cuba," he said.

Different Democrats have criticized the Trump administration's current approach to the beleaguered Caribbean island, which includes an ongoing oil blockade that has exacerbated its acute shortages.

Earlier this week Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the policy illustrates a new "era of depravity."

The lawmaker made the remark after being asked for a reaction to an article from Drop Site News, which claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio is deceiving Trump about there being high-level talks with Cuban officials.

"This is what we've seen with Gaza, a new era of depravity. There used to be, or there was this stated commitment on human rights where innocent civilians were almost exempt from blockades. And now it's almost acceptable for the Western world to look the other way as people are starved or deprived because they find political actors or regimes to be objectionable," she said.

Others who have criticized the policy are Reps. Ilhan Omar and Chuy Garcia. The former said said the Trump administration's goal is to "crush" the Cuban people, "manufacture a humanitarian catastrophe, and force regime change at any cost." The latter claimed that "for 65 years, the U.S. has maintained an embargo against Cuba, deliberately starving civilians in the hope that their desperation triggers an uprising."

He went on to claim that the tariffs could force "more migration" and argued against them. "Cuba poses no threat to the United States, but that's not the point. Trump is manufacturing an excuse for cruelty and regime change," he concluded.