WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said his upcoming visit to Cuba will advance U.S. efforts to restore ties with the communist nation and improve the lives of Cubans.
In March, Obama will be making the first trip to Cuba by a sitting president in more than half a century. He said on Twitter that there's already been significant progress.
White House deputy national security adviser Ben Rhodes says the U.S. still has "serious differences" with Cuban President Raul Castro's government. He says Obama will raise issues of human rights and political freedoms in discussions with Castro.
The news of his visit wasn't sitting well with Americans who've been opposed to normalizing ties with the communist country. Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Florida Republican who was born in Cuba, calls the visit "absolutely shameful."
Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz says Obama shouldn't visit Cuba while the Castro family remains in power.