(CNN) -- Could wild beach parties fueled by spring break tourism from the United States be in Cuba's future? They might be if Sen. Jeff Flake has anything to say about it. The Arizona Republican weighed in on the issue during Sen. John Kerry's secretary of state confirmation hearing on Thursday. "I've often felt that if we want a real get-tough policy with the Castro brothers," Flake said, "we should force them to deal with spring break once or twice." Flake said there was a serious message behind his quip. "The best way to foster change and progress toward democracy is to allow travel, free travel of Americans, to let them go as they wish," he said.
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Sen. Jeff Flake: Dealing with spring break would be "a real get-tough policy" for Cuba
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Travel is "the best way to foster change and progress toward democracy"
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Sen. Robert Menendez says the U.S. policy toward Cuba is no laughing matter
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There is an "increasing brutal crackdown on peaceful democracy advocates on the island," he says
But he encouraged @placeholder to push for more travel opportunities for Americans in the island nation.