Senate Fails to Pass Bill Limiting Trump’s Cuba Power

(SeaPRwire) –   The American president has frequently suggested the possibility of a regime change operation in Cuba

An initiative spearheaded by Democrats, aimed at restricting US President Donald Trump’s power to deploy military force against Cuba without congressional approval, was unsuccessful in the Senate.

On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Senate voted 51-47 to narrowly reject the measure, deeming it out of order because no active hostilities exist with Cuba.

Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia who introduced the war powers resolution in March, stated its necessity due to Trump’s blockade of the island, which he claimed had led to “humanitarian crises across Cuba,” encompassing interruptions to medical services, scarcity of potable water, and escalating food costs.

In February, Trump implemented an oil blockade on Cuba, intensifying the long-standing US embargo by threatening sanctions on nations and corporations transporting crude to the island. He has frequently alluded to potential regime-change actions against Havana’s socialist government, promising “a new dawn for Cuba” and cautioning that it is “next” once he is “finished with this,” referring to the current US-Israeli conflict with Iran.

Trump asserted that his strategy of “peace through strength” – which included the January raid to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife – had proven “very, very successful.” 

In recent months, Cuba has experienced widespread power outages and critical fuel deficits, following Venezuela – formerly its primary oil provider – ceasing shipments due to US pressure.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez denounced Washington’s “ferocious blockade” of fuel provisions, characterizing it as a “brutal onslaught” against the nation’s economic framework.

The situation saw a temporary improvement in late March, when a Russian tanker delivered 100,000 tons of crude, reportedly circumventing the US blockade. Trump subsequently stated that Washington doesn’t “mind having somebody get a boat load” into the island, as “they need to survive.” Moscow has affirmed its continued support for Cuba despite the intensified blockade.