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Chairman Kerry On Changes To Cuba Travel Regulations

Washington, D.C. -- Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry (D-MA) issued the following statement after the White House announced this afternoon that it is amending Treasury Department regulations to allow for increased travel to Cuba by Americans from religious, educational, cultural and other groups:

“I warmly applaud the President’s decision to allow more Americans to travel to Cuba.  These measures, expanding people-to-people relations between the United States and Cuba and allowing Americans to send funds to Cubans for private economic activity, open the way for the good will of citizens of both countries to forge deeper ties that are in our national interest today and in the future.  This is an important step.  If governments cannot solve the problems between them, at least they should get out of the way and let citizens work toward finding solutions.

“Cuba remains, regrettably, the only country in the world that the United States government does not allow its citizens to travel to freely.  I intend to continue pushing legislation, such as I sponsored in the last Congress, that will allow free travel to Cuba.  After 50 years of embargo against Cuba and government prohibitions on contact, it’s time to try something different.”

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