The House Appropriations Committee State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill would prohibit funds for an embassy or other diplomatic facility in Cuba.
The prohibition would stop money from flowing to an embassy or facility beyond what existed before President Obama’s December announcement that his administration was moving to open diplomatic ties with the island nation.
RELATED: Marco Rubio threatens to block nomination of ambassador to Cuba
The bill, released Tuesday, also restricts funds to facilitate the opening of a Cuban embassy in the U.S. It also aims to increase democracy assistance and international broadcasting to Cuba and provide direction to Secretary of State John Kerry on denying the issuance of visas to members of the Cuban military and Communist party.
The bill will be considered in the State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee on Wednesday.
“This legislation is first and foremost a national security bill. We live in an increasingly dangerous world where terrorist groups threaten the United States, our allies and partners, and our way of life. We see Russia and China continuing to assert territorial ambitions against its neighbors, and the threat of a nuclear Iran and its support and financing of terrorists is real,” Committee Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, said in a statement. “The United States must do more to lead on the world’s stage. This bill addresses challenges head-on and demonstrates our commitment to programs that promote global security and American prosperity.”
