{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-congressman-wm-lacy-clay-d-missouri-regarding-president-10", "STATEMENT BY CONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI REGARDING PRESIDENT OBAMA'S ACTIONS TO RESTORE DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS AND EASE ECONOMIC RESTRICTIONS WITH CUBA", "2014-12-17", "2014", "2014-12", "Democrat", "House", "MO", "William Clay", "C001049", "lacyclay.house.gov", null, null, "legacy", "FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 17, 2014 \nMEDIA CONTACTS:\nSTEVEN ENGELHARDT (314) 504-4029 \n\nSTATEMENT BY \nCONGRESSMAN WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI REGARDING \nPRESIDENT OBAMA'S ACTIONS TO REESTABLISH DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS \nAND EASE ECONOMIC RESTRICTIONS WITH CUBA \n\nNOTE: The following is a \nfirst-person statement from\nCongressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri\n\nI applaud President Obama's decision to replace our failed, 50-year isolation policy against Cuba. \nHis actions to restore diplomatic relations and to ease significant economic restrictions are smart, strategic, and long-overdue. \nBy establishing normalized diplomatic and financial relations with Cuba, President Obama has also opened the door to grow American jobs by greatly enhancing agricultural exports and trade in life sciences technology which are critical to economic growth in the St. Louis region and across Missouri.\nHaving traveled to Cuba myself on a diplomatic mission, I can attest to the fact that even though they still suffer harsh oppression from the current regime, the Cuban people long to restore their historic friendship with the United States. \nI am convinced that the best way to advance human rights and political freedom in Cuba is to increase our direct engagement, and I am hopeful that Congress will build on today's historic announcement by acting to end the economic embargo that was imposed in 1961. \nThat failed policy has done nothing to advance freedom or strengthen our national security, but it has caused innocent people to suffer for generations. \nRemoving it would be in the best interests of the American and Cuban people.\"\n\n\n\n-30-", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://lacyclay.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/statement-congressman-wm-lacy-clay-d-missouri-regarding-president-10"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.0457939933985472, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}