For Immediate Release
Tuesday, January 5, 1999

Contact: Deb Fiddelke
202-224-4224

Statement by U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel on President Clinton’s Announcement on the U.S. Cuba Policy

“President Clinton’s announcement today that he will loosen restrictions on humanitarian aid and travel to Cuba is a good first step. However, he should have done more. Playing a baseball game in Havana and trading mail are no substitutes for policy. I was one of twenty-four senators from both parties who wrote the President asking him to establish a bipartisan commission to review United States policy toward Cuba. I’m sorry the President didn’t agree to the review. Our Cuba policy is outdated and ineffective, and not relevant for the next century. Over the next two years, Congress and the President need to examine our Cuba policy to help facilitate our goal of a free and open Cuba.”