Presidential Cuban Visit Just The Beginning Says Rodney Davis

Congressman Rodney Davis of Taylorville sees President Obama’s recent visit to Cuba as just the start of improved relations with the island country. The Republican, who’s made two visits there himself in the last decade, doesn’t expect a quick vote in Congress to lift the trade embargo with Cuba. Instead, he anticipates action to lift the travel ban with the country, and to end a restriction that requires Cuban credit to purchase American products there. He says Cuba also needs to change some economic principles to build on its relationship with the US. Davis says with increased tourism to Cuba, Americans will still pay a penalty when exchanging their money for Cuban pesos. "And that Cuban tourist peso is money that only goes to government-run facilities so the regular Cuban person doesn’t benefit from that. We trade with other communist countries, but they don’t have dual currencies like Cuba has. And that’s one big step that I hope the president pushed. That’s one big step that I know I pushed when I was there.” Davis says he’s happy the president is trying to expand trade with Cuba, but says officials there have yet to buy more US products since Obama first announced efforts to renew economic ties with the country last year.