Biden is also expected to discuss his administration’s efforts to establish internet access for the Cuban people, the official said.
Last week’s sanctions came after Cuban-American groups and some members of Congress criticized the administration for not adopting a tough enough approach to the Cuban regime.
The President issued a statement condemning the mass detentions and “sham trials” of protesters. Biden said in a statement at the time that the actions were “just the beginning” and that the US would “continue to sanction individuals responsible for oppression of the Cuban people.”
The President has also said his administration was working with civil society organizations and the private sector “to provide internet access to the Cuban people that circumvents the regime’s censorship efforts.”
The President has also directed his administration to examine remittances to Cuba, or the practice of Americans transferring money to their Cuban relatives, to determine ways for those residing in the US to send money to the country.
Cuba’s government controls the financial sector and all communications on the island, and Biden has said he believes that under the current circumstances the remittances would end up in the hands of the regime.
Circumventing the government to send money or improve and expand internet access is a challenge other US administrations have tried and failed to overcome, but the issue has taken on increased urgency in the wake of the historic and widespread protests.
Biden said during his presidential campaign he would try to reverse Trump-era policies on Cuba that he said have “inflicted harm on Cubans and their families.” But Biden’s review of these policies remains underway, and people familiar with the discussions tell CNN the review is unlikely to result in a return to the Obama-era policy of normalized relations with Havana.
The Cuban government has shown no signs in recent years of easing its political and economic repression of the Cuban people, which has severely narrowed the Biden administration’s options for returning to normalized ties.