White House and Republicans in Congress locked in dispute over Cuba travel.(efforts to limit illegal travel to Cuba)(Brief Article)

WASHINGTON --Congress began another assault on US restrictions on travel to Cuba as President George W. Bush appeared to crack down on illegal travel to the island.

In late July, Rep. Jeff Flake, a freshman Republican from Arizona, led the charge against the embargo's prohibition on spending money on travel to Cuba with an amendment to the $33 billion bill that will fund the Treasury Department, the postal service and other agencies next year. The amendment, approved on a 240-186 vote, would strip the Treasury Department of money to enforce the travel regulations but would leave the ban on most American travel to Cuba in place. Sixty-seven Republicans joined 172 Democrats in voting for the amendment.

The vote on the travel amendment came after a failed effort by Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) to lift all economic sanctions on Cuba. The vote was 227-201.

Flakes's effort was modeled after a similar amendment sponsored by conservative Republicans and approved by the House last year. Last year's vote was seen as symbolic, a rebellion against House Whip Tom DeLay (R-TX) who had weakened legislation to allow the first US agricultural sales to Cuba in nearly 40 year.

To placate Cuban-American Reps. Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, both Republicans who represent Miami districts, DeLay insisted that the provision that allowed food sales to Cuba include a restriction on private or government financing of those sales.

DeLay also insisted on a measure that stripped the president of his authority to allow more US travel to Cuba. It codified the 12 existing categories of Americans -including journalists, Cuban-Americans, academic researchers and amateur athletes - who are allowed travel under Treasury Department licenses and added another category, farmers seeking to make sales.

Flake - a libertarian in many respects - adopted the Cuba issue on ideological principles. He and other conservatives in his party don't believe the US government should be telling Americans where they can or cannot travel.