Watch: State Dept. Won't Say if Cuba Is Living Up to Its Agreement With Obama

The State Department on Monday refused to say whether Cuba is living up to its commitment to release 53 political prisoners, a step it agreed to as part of a package that included an easing of travel restrictions by the United States, and the promise of a new effort to restore diplomatic ties.

Critics have complained that the Obama administration has kept many aspects of the deal secret, including the exact identities of the 53 Cuban prisoners. Last month, House Republicans were arguing that failing to release those names would make it impossible to know if they have really been released, especially given that the Cuban government has continued to arrest political dissidents on the island.

On Monday, State Department spokesman Jen Psaki added fuel to the fire by refusing to answer questions about whether all, some or none of those prisoners have been released, and said State had no plans to release the identities of those people.

"We're not going to outline who those individuals were," Psaki said. "I don't expect we'll be releasing a public list."

When told that all the secrecy has led to complaints that Cuba may not be living up to its end of the bargain, Psaki essentially said observers would have to trust the Obama administration to implement the deal.

"We know who's on there," she said. "And the Cuban government knows who's on there, and we've given a specific number."

Psaki was asked several more times if she could confirm anything at all, even there whereabouts of the 53 nameless prisoners.

"I don't have anything to confirm for you publicly, no," she said. After being asked if she didn't know the answer, Psaki added, "It's not that I don't know. I don't have any updates to provide for you."