Senators John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, and the White House chief of staff, Denis McDonough, are flying to Cuba on Friday to examine what is happening at the prison at Guantánamo Bay.
Mr. McCain disclosed the trip on Twitter. “Headed down to review the situation at Guantanamo Bay prison today with @SenFeinstein and WH COS Denis McDonough,†he wrote.
The visit comes at a time when scores of prisoners are on a hunger strike to protest their continued detention and conditions at the facility. In a statement on Thursday, the Pentagon said that 103 detainees were on a hunger strike and 41 of them were being force fed.
President Obama last month renewed his commitment to closing the prison at Guantánamo despite Congressional opposition. He said he would appoint new officials at the State and Defense Departments to oversee efforts to reduce the population by transferring some of the 166 detainees to their home countries. He also lifted a moratorium on sending home those from Yemen, the largest group cleared for transfer.
While Mr. McCain has been a fierce critic of some of Mr. Obama’s national security policies, he has also spoken out for closing the facility.
The White House confirmed the trip Friday morning, describing it as a follow-up to the president’s speech. Mr. McDonough and the senators will “review the situation there and discuss the steps that we can take with the Congress to meet the president’s goal of closing the facility,†said Caitlin Hayden, a White House spokeswoman.
