Mimi Whitefield, Miami Herald
Photo Credit: Al Diaz/Miami Herald

Just like every president before him for more than two decades, President Donald Trump intends to suspend a section of the Helms-Burton Act that allows former owners of commercial property expropriated by Cuba to sue foreign companies and the Cuban government for using or “trafficking’ in those confiscated holdings.

Since the Helms-Burton Act was signed into law in 1996 in the heated environment after Cuba shot down two Brothers to the Rescue planes, every president has routinely suspended the lawsuit provision known as Title III at six-month intervals. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon notified appropriate Congressional committees last Friday that the Trump administration would suspend Title III for a six-month period beyond Aug. 1. The law requires Congressional notification at least 15 days before a suspension is to begin.