Washington, D.C. – The path to a free Cuba is not paved with prevention of trade and travel of idea-bearing people to our island neighbor, according to U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., who introduced legislation this week that he said would turn 40 years of restrictive and faulty U.S.-Cuban policy on its ear.

Enzi, with bi-partisan support from 16 other senators, introduced S. 894 the Freedom to Travel to Cuba Act this week which would allow Americans to travel to Cuba free of the restrictions now in place. Enzi acknowledged Castro’s cruelty to his own people but clarified the difference between the United States ignoring the Cuban government and ignoring the Cuban people.

“When we stop Cuban-Americans from bringing financial assistance to their families in Cuba and end the people to people exchanges and stop the sale of agricultural and medicinal products to Cuba, we are not hurting the Cuban government, we are hurting the Cuban people,” said Enzi. “If you keep on doing what you have always been doing, you’re going to wind up getting what you already got.”

Sponsoring S. 894 is a continuation of the efforts by Enzi to allow Americans to travel to Cuba. He has supported numerous bills in the past and has been an active advocate to increase the flow of ideas into Cuba.