Congress votes to end 60-year Cuba embargo, opening trade and travel
H.R. 7521 — United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2026 · Filed by Jim McGovern (D-MA) · 30 cosponsors · Introduced Feb 12, 2026 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill lifts the decades-old U.S. trade embargo on Cuba by repealing the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992 and the LIBERTAD Act of 1996, removing export controls, allowing unrestricted travel and remittances, and extending normal trade relations to Cuban goods. U.S. companies gain access to the Cuban market; Cuban citizens and diaspora gain the ability to travel freely and send money home without restriction; and the bill directs the President to negotiate claims settlements and human-rights protections.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core function is the removal of Cold War-era trade restrictions on Cuba. All operative sections—repeal of embargo statutes, removal of export controls, normalization of trade relations, and unrestricted travel and remittances—serve that single purpose. The title accurately describes the mechanism.
What the text implies
- Removal of the sugar quota prohibition (Food Security Act of 1985) may increase Cuban sugar imports, potentially affecting U.S. domestic sugar producers and prices for consumers.
- Repeal of Section 211 (intellectual property restrictions) may allow Cuban entities to conduct business using U.S. trademarks and patents previously blocked, creating new licensing and dispute opportunities.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who stands to gain
U.S. agricultural exporters (food, grain); U.S. telecommunications carriers and equipment manufacturers; U.S. travel and tourism operators