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handle is hein.crs/govdchq0001 and id is 1 raw text is: K. Updated October 28,2020 Cuba: U.S. Policy Overview Since the early 1960s, when the United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, the centerpiece of U.S. policy toward Cuba has consisted of economic sanctions aimed at isolating the government. In 2014, the Obama Administration initiated a policy shift moving away fromsanctions toward engagement and the normalization of relations. Changes included the rescission of Cuba's designation as a state sponsor of international terrorism(May 2015); the restorationof diplomatic relations (July 2015); and an easing ofrestrictions on travel, remittances, trade, telecommunications, and banking and financial services (2015 and 2016), accomplished through amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR), administered by the Treasury Department, and the Export Adminis tration Regulations, administered by the Commerce Department. The restoration ofrelations led to increased government-to-government engagement, with over 20 bilateral agreements and numerous dialogues. President Trump unveiled a new policy toward Cubain 2017, introducingnew sanctions and rolling backefforts to normalize relations. By 2019, the Administration largely abandoned engagement by increasing economic sanctions significantly to pressure the Cuban government on human rights and for its support of the Venezuelan government of Nicolds Maduro. In 2020, the Administrationhas ratcheted up restrictions on travel and family remittances. On October 27, the Administration announced new s anctions that could lead to the curtailment of most remittances in late November, when the restrictions become effective. Cuban Political and Economic Developments. In April 2018, Miguel Diaz-Canel, who was serving as first vice president, succeeded Radl Castro as president, but Castro continues to head the Cuban Communist Party until 2021. The selection of Diaz-Canel, now 60 years old, reflected the generational changein Cuban leadership thatbegan several years ago and marks the first time since the 1959 Cuban revolution that a Castro is notin charge of the government. While in power from2006 to 2018, Radl Castro began to implement significanteconomic policy changes, moving toward a more mixed economy with a s tronger private sector, buthis government's slow, gradualist approach did not produce major economic improvements. In a February 2019 referendum, Cubans approved a new constitution that introduced such changes as an appointed prime ministerto oversee governmentoperations; limits on the president's tenure (two five-year terms) and age (60, beginning first term); and market-oriented economic reforms, including the right to private property and the promotion of foreign investment. However, the new constitutionensures the state sector's dominance over the economy and the predominant role of the Communist Party. In October 2019, Cuba's National Assembly appointed Diaz-Canel as president under the new constitution. In December2019, Diaz-Canel appointed tourismminis ter Manuel Marrero Cruz as prime minister. The Cuban economy is being hard-hit by Venezuela's economic cris is, which has reduced Venezuela's support for Cuba; increased U.S. economic sanctions, which have hurt Cuba's nascentprivate s ector; and the economic decline associated with the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The Economist Intelligence Unit is forecasting an 8.3% economic contraction in 2020. Cuba's public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have been effective. As of October 28, 2020, the country reported 128 deaths, with a mortality rate of 1.13 per 100,000 people (among the lowest rates in the hemisphere), according to Johns Hopkins University. Cuba has providedinternationalassistance to respondto the pandemic by sending over 3,700 medical professionals to almost 40 countries worldwide. Trump Administration Sanctions. President Trump is sued a nationals ecurity presidential memorandumin June 2017 that introduced new s anctions, including restrictions on trans actions with companies controlled by the Cuban military. The State Department is sued a list of restricted entities in 2017, which has beenupdated severaltimes, most recently in September2020. The Cuba restricted list' includes 230entities andsubentities, including 2ministries, 5 holding companies and 54 of their subentities, 111hotels, 2 tourist agencies, 5 marinas, 10 stores in Old Havana, and 41 entities serving defense and security sectors. Since 2019, the Adminis tration has imposed increasingly strong sanctions against Cuba. In addition to the sanctions noted below, the Administrationhas increased efforts (including vis a restrictions) to call attention to allegations of coercive laborpractices in Cuba's foreign medical missions, a major foreign exchange earner for Cuba. In May 2020, the State Department (pursuant to Section 40A of the Arms Export Control Act) added Cuba to its annual list of countries certified as notcooperatingfully with U.S. antiterrorismefforts, the first time since 2015. Efforts to Stop Venezuelan Oil Exports to Cuba. Since April2019, the Treasury Department has imposed sanctions onseveralshipping companies and vessels that transported Venezuelan oilto Cuba. In July 2019, it sanctioned Cuba's state-run oil import/export company. Lawsuits Related to ConfiscatedProperty. Effective May 2, 2019, the Administration allowed the right to file lawsuits against those trafficking in confiscated property in Cuba pursuant to Title III of the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 (P.L. 104-114). Lawsuits can be brought by any U.S. national, including those who were not U.S. nationals at the time of the confiscation. Previous Administrations had suspended, at six-month intervals, the right to file such

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