McGovern to Join Secretary Kerry in Cuba for U.S. Embassy Opening

Worcester, MA, August 13, 2015

Today Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) announced that tomorrow, August 14, he will join U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and other members of Congress for the official re-opening of the U.S. embassy in Havana, Cuba. This follows the re-opening of the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. in July and President Obama’s December 2014 announcement of the normalizing of U.S.-Cuba relations.

“On Friday, the U.S. will begin a new chapter in our relationship with Cuba. By re-opening the U.S. embassy in Havana, we are ready to officially end the failed Cold War policy of isolation and embrace the power of diplomacy,” Congressman McGovern said. “With a more open relationship between our two countries, we can work together to expand economic opportunity, support democratic reforms, and strengthen human rights. I am grateful to President Obama and Secretary Kerry for their leadership on this important policy and look forward to joining Secretary Kerry in Havana for this historic moment.”

Congressman McGovern has been a leading champion in the push to normalize U.S.-Cuba relations. In December 2014, when President Obama first announced the new U.S.-Cuba policy, Congressman McGovern joined Secretary Kerry to welcome home Alan Gross, the American aid worker who was released from Cuba the same day.

Joining Congressman McGovern for the U.S. embassy opening in Cuba will be Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Jeff Flake (R-AZ), and Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA), Steve Cohen (D-TN), and Karen Bass (D-CA).

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