Dear John,

We are excited to share some hopeful news on Cuba with you! The weekend of December 9th, Reps. Mark Pocan (WI), Troy Carter (LA), and James McGovern (MA) traveled to Havana and met with Cuban officials and U.S. medical students. These three congressmen echoed the message we’ve been repeating since Biden took office: We need to get back on track to a path of diplomacy with Cuba. Thank the congressional delegation for traveling to Havana and ask them to initiate a Congressional letter calling on the Biden administration to take Cuba off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. 

During a meeting with Cuba’s National Assembly, Rep. McGovern insisted on the need to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list, lift the embargo and increase cooperation on issues of mutual interest. Biden has the power to remove Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list and reverse many Trump-era sanctions through executive action. However, Biden has chosen to defend Trump’s aggressive and outdated policies. 

Samantha, Michelle, and I have been meeting with members of Congress for months working towards ending the embargo on Cuba and removing Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list. This delegation's visit to Cuba is a sign that CODEPINK’s advocacy in Congress has been working. It also means we have allies in Congress who we need to uplift when they speak up. Join us by thanking the congressmen!

Let’s continue building support for better relations with Cuba by urging McGovern, Carter, and Pocan to lead a Dear Colleagues letter to Biden, asking him to use his executive power to take Cuba off a list it should never have been on. Sign the thank you letter!

It is thanks to you that we can celebrate these small but impactful victories. Thank you for supporting and uplifting our work this year. With your help, CODEPINK collected over 10,000 signatures on a letter to Biden, which our team delivered to the State Department. Additionally, you showed up for the Cuban people with your generosity after hurricane Ian devastated parts of the country. We were able to raise over $70,000 in record time to alleviate some of the needs of the Cuban people. We continue to raise funds to send powdered milk to pediatric hospitals, and we will soon be launching a campaign to buy medical supplies needed for cataract operations so stay tuned.

We are excited to continue counting on your solidarity and support as we continue pressuring Biden to move toward diplomacy with Cuba in 2023!

Happy holidays, 

Samantha, Medea, Michelle, and Teri

P.S. If you are a lawyer, please consider signing on to the letter to Biden demanding he take Cuba off the State Sponsor of Terrorism list