Title
Urging the Trump Administration to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and urging Congress to vote to end all economic sanctions against Cuba.
Body
WHEREAS, The United States has maintained an economic, commercial and financial embargo on Cuba, restricting most trade and engagement and penalizing other countries for engaging with Cuba since 1962; and
WHEREAS, 32 city councils including Pittsburgh have passed resolutions calling for the end of the embargo and/or for removing Cuba from the State Sponsors of Terror list. 117 resolutions have been passed by governmental bodies in the United States representing more than 60 million people; and
WHEREAS, The embargo blocks Cuba from acquiring essential medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and necessary resources for daily life like oil for its electricity grid creating an urgent starvation and medical crisis; and
WHEREAS, President Trump signed Executive Order 14380 of January 29, 2026, “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba”, escalating the embargo citing erroneous threats to national security posed by Cuba despite the Cuban government’s longstanding policy of friendship and cooperation among states and respect for the international rule of law; and
WHEREAS, President Trump reinstated Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SSOT), reversing the 2015 decision by the Obama-Biden administration to remove this status following an extensive review by the US State Department and later the Biden-Harris administration. Cuba does not remotely meet the established criteria for inclusion on this list; and
WHEREAS, The Trump administration has intensified its rhetoric toward Cuba and expanded military deployments in the Caribbean region. Any form of military action would have devastating and potentially irreversible consequences for the Cuban people, who are already enduring a severe humanitarian crisis. Any military or maritime escalation could produce detrimental consequences for the region; and
WHEREAS, Both Trump administrations have severely increased US sanctions on Cuba, reversing Obama-era policies. These measures restrict Cuban Americans from sending remittances to relatives and businesses in Cuba, and prevent Cubans from visiting their relatives in the US. Worsening economic conditions have led to increased Cuban migration and US border security concerns; and
WHEREAS, The Trump administration has imposed restrictions on where US residents, traveling legally in Cuba; and
WHEREAS, The embargo prevents people in the US from accessing Cuban biotech medications including Heberprot-P (which prevents diabetic foot amputations), CIMAvax, a vaccine for treating advanced lung cancer, and NeuroEPO which can delay or halt the advancement of early-stage Alzheimer's disease; and
WHEREAS, The United Nations estimated in 2024 that the embargo had cost Cuba $164 billion to date, with annual losses around $5 billion; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Hereby urges the Trump Administration to remove Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism and urges Congress to vote to end all economic sanctions against Cuba.
End