VOA慢速英语2016--奥巴马邀请两党议员同访古巴（在线收听）

AS IT IS 2016-03-12 Obama Invites Lawmakers On Cuba Trip 奥巴马邀请两党议员同访古巴

Democratic and Republican lawmakers will join President Barack Obama on his trip to Cuba later in March.

Obama invited members of both the Republican Party and the Democratic Party to join him in Cuba.

Both Democrats and Republicans have accepted the invitation from the president. Patrick Leahy, the senate’s longest serving member and Jeff Flake, a Republican from Arizona, accepted the president’s invitation.

Flake and Leahy are part of a group of 46 senators going to Cuba.

“Excited to do it,” Flake said about the trip to Cuba. “I’m glad the president is going. This is a big deal. It will be good for the Cuban people.”

One senator, Bill Nelson of Florida, did not accept the invitation. His state is home to many Cuban-Americans. Those Cuban-Americans blame Cuba for many human rights violations.

“They invited me to go along, and I cannot go,” Nelson said. I don’t want any attendance by me as Florida’s senior senator that would in any way be interpreted that you overlook the human rights abuses of [the] Castro [regime] in Cuba. It’s not time for me to go.”

Top members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were invited, but will not attend. Republican Senator Bob Corker and Democratic Senator Ben Cardin will not travel to Cuba.

Senators not traveling with the president will be watching closely how the human rights issue will be handled.

“There’s a lot of potential in Cuba,” Cardin said. “But they still are not doing what is necessary on human rights. But through U.S. involvement, we will be able to see greater change.”

Obama's trip to Cuba will mark the first time a sitting U.S. president has visited the island in nearly 90 years.

Words in This Story

interpret - v. to explain the meaning of; to understand

handle - v. to direct; to react to a situation or problem

potential - n. having the ability to become something in the future

overlook – v. to fail to see or notice something