ALBANY — Gov. Cuomo heads to Cuba Monday on a trade mission that critics charge is aimed more at generating headlines than creating economic opportunities for New York.
Cuomo will leave Monday morning and will spend just over a day on the island nation in what administration officials insist is an effort to open pathways for New York businesses.
The taxpayer-funded trip is the first by a U.S. governor since President Obama decided in December to normalize relations with Cuba.
“This trade mission, part of the broader Global NY initiative, will guarantee that New York businesses are first in line to take advantage of this new, emerging economic market,” said Cuomo spokeswoman Melissa DeRosa.
Cuomo’s office has released sparse details on the mission — including his precise itinerary — but he is expected to travel with a delegation of about 20 business and government leaders, including Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx).
Critics argued Cuba has little to offer New York businesses and questioned Cuomo’s motives.
“Let’s be honest, there is not a lot of money to be made in an impoverished place with little free enterprise,” said E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for Public Policy.
“It’s political and it’s hypocritical,” added state GOP Chairman Ed Cox.
Although the Obama administration has loosened travel and other restrictions, Cuba is still subject to sanctions and a trade embargo that can only be lifted by Congress. The President met with Cuban leader Raul Castro last week in Panama and both pledged to work towards better relations.
John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, a business group, said it would have been better to wait until the two nations were further along in establishing relations.
“The potential outcomes would be better because the financial impediments would have been removed,” Kavulich said.
Administration officials say the state can reap long-term gains by establishing ties now.
“New York is a leader in protecting and advancing human rights under Gov. Cuomo, and while we cannot ignore our disagreements with the Cuban government, as the President has said, we can do more to support the Cuban people and promote our values through engagement and diplomacy, rather than by continuing a policy of isolation which has failed for the last 50 years,” DeRosa said.
