A letter published this Tuesday in the newspaper The New York Times asks President Joe Biden to reverse in his last 90 days in office the Cuba policy of his predecessor, Donald Trump, revealed a note from Prensa Latina news agency.
In its letter the organization The People’s Forum, author of the call to the U.S. president, said that Cuba is simultaneously experiencing a serious energy crisis and the recent impact of Hurricane Oscar.
Open to the signature of those interested in the Internet platforms, the document recalls that a decade ago then-President Barack Obama inaugurated a new and hopeful chapter in relations between the United States and Cuba by taking the first steps towards normalization.
“However, Trump dismantled that policy, imposing pain and suffering on the Cuban people. As a consequence, Cuba is currently experiencing a nationwide blackout, exacerbated by the cruel sixty-year-long U.S. embargo,” the letter denounced.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee to the White House: “Now is the time to help the Cuban people”.
According to the writers, Washington’s punitive action against the island “has prevented the country from purchasing fuel, accessing essential goods, and obtaining spare parts for its power grid — leaving millions of people in the dark.”
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“This represents a grave injustice designed to create severe shortages, making it impossible for the Cuban people to access essential food, medicine, and fuel,” it denounced.
The People’s Forum, which describes itself as “a movement incubator for working class and marginalized communities to build unity across historic lines of division at home and abroad,” estimated that Biden has “maintained Trump’s policy for three years and nine months,” but that “with only 90 days left in his term, he has the ability to lift these harmful measures.”
Based in New York, this educational and cultural space committed to a new world through collective action, considered in its open letter that “removing the State Sponsors of Terrorism designation would allow Cuba to engage in financial transactions and restore its electrical grid.”
Likewise, it would enable the island, according to the authors, to “address shortages of food and medicine to alleviate the immense hardship faced by the Cuban people, who have endured over 62 years of economic strife under the embargo.”
According to official data provided by Havana, in more than six decades, the embargo cost Cuba more than 164 billion dollars in damages and about 5 billion dollars in losses in the last year alone (March 2023 to February 2024).
“Trump’s brutal policy should be reversed. It’s not too late to do the right thing. You can change this reality with a simple signature. It’s time to act. Let Cuba Live!” concluded the letter from The People’s Forum.
The citizen group action joins the congressional voices that demanded the end of the White House sanctions against Cuba this Monday.
Democratic members of the House of Representatives Jim McGovern and Barbara Lee blamed the administration for the island’s energy hardships. They urged President Biden to change course in the final stretch of his term.
Exchange of messages
The United States government said this Monday that it is “closely” monitoring the blackouts that Cuba has suffered in recent days and assured that it does not rule out providing aid to the island.
During a press briefing, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said that her government is concerned about “the potential humanitarian impacts (of the blackouts) on the Cuban people,” at a time when Cuba is seeking to recover from the recent collapse of its electrical system.
The spokeswoman explained that the Cuban government “has not requested any assistance at this time,” but did not rule out providing it in the future if it does so.
If such a request were to be made, she said, the U.S. administration “would assess the appropriate next steps,” says a report from the EFE news agency.
In response, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) assured this Monday that “specific requests” are not necessary and that the U.S. authorities know “clearly what must be done,” in reference to the lifting of sanctions.
“If the U.S. government is truly willing to help, it knows and clearly understands where it can make a difference and what must be done. There is no need for too many explanations or specific requests,” responded Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío.
