President Eisenhower signed the first version of the Cuba embargo on Oct. 19, 1960. On Dec. 17, 2014, President Obama eased commerce and travel restrictions, removed Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism, and took steps to reestablish diplomatic relations, including reopening an embassy in Havana and being the first sitting President to travel to Cuba since Calvin Coolidge in 1928. On Oct. 26, 2016, the UN General Assembly voted for the 25th consecutive year for the US to end the embargo on Cuba, and, for the first time ever, the US abstained from voting rather than voting to oppose the measure.

On June 16, 2017, President Trump announced that the embassy in Cuba would remain open but that the administration would enforce the embargo, canceling Obama's changes.

For more information, visit cuba-embargo.procon.org.