WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – The U.S. Congress will most  likely lift a five-decades-old embargo on Cuba before the end  of 2010, a senior Democratic lawmaker said yesterday.

House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee Chairman  Charles Rangel told reporters he believed the current Congress,  which goes through next year, would lift the trade ban.

Rangel, a long time critic of the embargo and head of the  House’s powerful tax and trade policy committee, made the  comment in response to a question.

He was at an event with other lawmakers to push for action  on legislation to ease U.S. restrictions on trade and travel to  Cuba. Asked how likely it was the overall embargo would come  off in this Congress, Rangel said: “Most likely.”

However, action on that would take a back seat to work in  the near term on reforming the U.S. health care system, said  Rangel, a New York Democrat.

Last month, President Barack Obama took a step toward  improved relations with the communist-run island by easing  restrictions on family travel to Cuba.

Obama then urged Cuba to release political prisoners and  improve human rights to get more concessions from Washington.

Cuban President Raul Castro and his brother, former Cuban  leader Fidel Castro, both have expressed a willingness to talk  with the United States.

But they publicly insist that Cuba does not have to make  concessions to move the diplomatic process forward.

Representative William Delahunt told reporters he did not  expect a vote until November on his bill to allow all U.S.  citizens to travel freely to Cuba.

“We’re building up support. We have 138 co-sponsors,”  Delahunt, a Massachusetts Democrat, said.

But Democratic congressional leaders had to decide when and  how to proceed with Cuba legislation, he said. Meanwhile  embargo supporters are “spending huge amounts of money” to  defeat the travel bill, Delahunt said.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk told Reuters yesterday  Obama was waiting for Cuba to make the next move.

“What the president has said now it’s time for Cuba to  demonstrate its willingness to take some steps and show some  progress and change in philosophy as it relates to human rights  and perhaps releasing some of the prisoners,” Kirk said.