Area Democrats to Join Obama on Historic Trip to Cuba

President Barack Obama will be joined on his historic trip to Cuba this weekend by Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy, and Massachusetts Congressmen Seth Moulton and Jim McGovern.

"The White House just called and said the President would like me to join him," McGovern said Saturday in Beverly.

The trip marks the first time in 88 years a sitting U.S. president will make a trip to Cuba.

Leahy has pushed to normalize relations with Cuba for more than 20 years. Moulton, a Democrat from Salem, is co-sponsoring a bill to open up U.S. economic relationships with Cuba.

In 2014, Obama announced diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba would be restored after a 50-year embargo. The island of 11 million citizens is run by a communist government, which Moulton feels needs to end.

"The Castros are still in power after more than 50 years," Moulton said. "So it's time for a new direction. It's time for a change, and this trip is part of that."

The political leaders will conduct official business as well as sightsee and catch the Tampa Bay Rays game against a Cuban national team.

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