FILE – This April 4, 2013 file photo shows married musicians Beyonce, left, and rapper Jay-Z as they tour Old Havana, Cuba. Jay-Z is addressing his recent trip to Cuba in a new song. The rapper released “Open Letter” Thursday, April 11, after two Florida Republicans questioned if the rapper’s visit to Havana with wife Beyonce was officially licensed. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa, file)
WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Marco Rubio says entertainers Beyonce and Jay-Z missed a chance while in Cuba to see firsthand the effects of political oppression.
The Republican lawmaker from Florida calls their recent trip “hypocritical” and he takes issue with the U.S. government’s approval of the visit as a cultural mission.
Beyonce and Jay-Z marked their wedding anniversary in Havana last week.
U.S. citizens aren’t allowed to travel to Cuba for mere tourism, though they can obtain licenses for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips. These people-to-people licenses were reinstated under the Obama administration.
Rubio, a Cuban-American, says such trips provide money to the Castro government to oppress the Cuban people.
Rubio discussed the trip during interviews Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” ABC’s “This Week” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
