H.R. 7521 — United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2026

This section repeals and amends multiple statutory authorities imposing restrictions on U.S. trade, exports, assistance, and other relations with Cuba, including (1) the embargo authority and sugar quota prohibition under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (2) exercise of Trading with the Enemy Act authorities delegated to the President with respect to Cuba; (3) export prohibitions under the Export Administration Act of 1979 and Export Control Reform Act of 2018 (while preserving presidential authority for new controls under specified conditions); (4) the Cuban Democracy Act of 1992; (5) the Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996, including conforming amendments to visa revocation authorities, immigration provisions, attachment immunity for Cuban property, and sections 514 and 515 of the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949 (22 U.S.C. 1643l and 1643m) concerning fact-finding on claims by U.S. nationals for confiscated Cuban property; (6) Cuba-related restrictions on assistance to former Soviet republics under the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961; (7) Cuba-specific provisions of the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000; and (8) a prohibition on transactions involving certain U.S. intellectual property registered in Cuba. (Thus, these changes generally terminate the statutory Cuba embargo and related sanctions, subject to any new restrictions imposed by the President under preserved authorities.)

This section authorizes any common carrier, as defined in the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 153), to install, maintain, repair, and upgrade telecommunications equipment and facilities in Cuba and to provide telecommunications services between the United States and Cuba.

This section prohibits the regulation or prohibition of travel to and from Cuba by U.S. citizens or residents, and transactions ordinarily incident to such travel, if the travel would be lawful in the United States. Prohibited regulations include those on (1) transactions ordinarily incident to travel or maintenance in Cuba and (2) normal banking transactions involving foreign currency drafts, traveler’s checks, or other negotiable instruments incident to that travel.

This section urges the President to take all necessary steps to advance negotiations with the Government of Cuba (1) to settle claims of nationals of the United States for property taken by that government and (2) to secure protection of internationally recognized human rights. It applies the definitions of "national of the United States" (i.e., U.S. citizens or U.S.-organized entities 50% or more owned by U.S. citizens) and "property" (i.e., any property, right, interest, or debt nationalized or expropriated by Cuba) from the International Claims Settlement Act of 1949.

This section extends nondiscriminatory trade treatment (normal trade relations) to the products of Cuba, effective the 15th day after enactment, by (1) amending subdivision (b) of general note 3 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States to remove Cuba from the list of countries ineligible for lower column 1 tariff rates, (2) repealing section 401 of the Tariff Classification Act of 1962 (previously denying such treatment to Cuba), and (3) terminating the application of title IV of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. 2431 et seq.) to Cuba. (Thus, Cuban goods entered on or after the effective date will qualify for the same tariff rates as goods from countries with normal trade relations.) The section also expresses the sense of Congress supporting normalization of trade relations with Cuba and requires the President to submit a report to Congress on U.S.-Cuba trade relations within 18 months of enactment.

This section prohibits the Secretary of the Treasury from limiting the amount of remittances to Cuba by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction and directs the Secretary to rescind all regulations in effect on the date of enactment that impose such limits. Subsection (b) clarifies that this prohibition does not preclude prosecution or conviction for money laundering offenses under 18 U.S.C. § 1956 (laundering of monetary instruments) or § 1957 (monetary transactions in criminally derived property).

This section revises the start date for denial of the foreign tax credit under section 901(j) of the Internal Revenue Code for taxes paid or accrued to foreign countries determined to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism. Such denial now begins on the date the President reports that determination to Congress (previously, when such country becomes a country so described). The amendment applies to determinations made after enactment and does not affect countries already subject to denial prior to enactment.