Former congressman Joe García says that a law is "being considered" to free Cuban SMEs from the embargo

Former Democratic congressman Joe García claims that a friend of his, a member of the United States Congress, is "considering" a bill "to lift the embargo" on all Cuban SMEs. In an interview with CiberCuba, the lawyer also explained that they are talking about eliminating all limitations that negatively affect a Cuban entrepreneur, such as monetary and financial restrictions. He added that the measure would provide greater security to the 12,000 small businesses registered on the island since 2021.

García acknowledges the difficulty of pushing forward a measure like this. "It's easier said than done," he added at the end of a conversation in which he expressed his satisfaction for the new measures approved by the Department of the Treasury this week, benefiting small and medium enterprises. Among them, the lifting of the ban on opening bank accounts in the United States, authorization of transactions in U.S. dollars (via third countries); the expansion of access to internet and software services, and the creation of the category of independent entrepreneur in the private sector, which encompasses SMEs and not just self-employed individuals.

These measures come days after the Biden Administration took the first step to remove Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, with its withdrawal of Díaz-Canel's regime from the ranking of countries that do not collaborate with the United States in the fight against terrorism. They also come a month after the migration talks held last April between the two countries, where the Cuban government complained about the embargo.

When asked whether President Biden's attempt to curb the migratory wave from the island was behind the decision of the Department of the Treasury to relax restrictions affecting micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, Joe García dismissed it, although he admits that "it's a good argument." "If this is happening, I am not part of it. I don't think that's the case. These are measures that had been discussed and taken," he said before clarifying that they were not adopted earlier due to votes related to the war in Ukraine and other issues with "very tight" decisions in Congress.

García does not hide the satisfaction that the new measures approved by the Treasury Department bring to him. "I think it's good and will have an impact on Cuba and Spain because it is the financial center for many SMEs, and now one even finds banks financing some of the purchases made by companies." He also added that these measures will lower the cost of many transactions and applauded the fact that Cuban entrepreneurs can now open bank accounts legally in the United States, which is something that has been done outside the law so far but will now be regularized.

Despite acknowledging that it is not the embargo but rather the Cuban regime itself that limits the creation of SMEs by not opening the door to productive forces, Joe García understands that measures such as the one adopted by the Department of the Treasury confirm that the United States is willing to help. "What cannot be left out from us," he pointed out.

He also acknowledged that the Cuban government missed the opportunity offered by Obama during the thaw years, but argued that lifting restrictions on SMEs creates civil society. "Unfortunately, Cuba has not provided the necessary openness and starts saying that now we have enough of this. I don't know what there is enough of in Cuba that the government has to regulate, but well, let's give the bureaucrat something to do."

Despite being very few SMEs (12,000), they represent almost 20% of the Cuban GDP, including self-employed workers, cooperatives, and SMEs, and provide jobs to more than one million people. "700 (SMEs) should be opened every day because in Cuba everything is yet to be done and everything is at a standstill."

Joe García denies that with these measures, the United States Government is giving oxygen to the Cuban regime. "When you give food to someone, you are not giving oxygen to the Government," he insisted.

In response to CiberCuba's question about whether he understands the anger of Cuban activists towards the United States' measure, Joe García said yes, and pointed out that he was once the executive director of the Cuban American Foundation. "I am the architect behind all this. I have heard many people saying that upon hearing it, one might think: 'This guy was quite something in Havana' and yet did nothing there," he added ironically.

These second-rate heroes who say that my father has to starve in Cuba to free Cuba are worse than the people they pursue.