Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., speaks during a press briefing on the Iran war powers resolution at the Capitol, March 9, 2026, in Washington.

Democratic senators file war powers resolution to check Trump on Cuba

WASHINGTON — In an effort to compel a vote on President Donald Trump's declared intention to "takeover" the Caribbean nation, Senate Democrats have introduced legislation that would prohibit the United States from striking Cuba without congressional approval.

Republicans have largely supported Trump thus far, but Democrats have frequently used war powers resolutions to compel discussion of the president's foreign policy actions. The Democratic senators filed the resolution on Thursday. Tim Kaine, Ruben Gallego, and Adam Schiff might get a vote by the end of the month if they demand that the president withdraw the military from any conflicts with Cuba.

"He operates with the belief that the U.S. military is a palace guard, ordering military action in the Caribbean, Venezuela, and Iran without Congress' authorization or any explanation for his actions to the American people," Kaine said in a statement. "The Constitution only gives Congress the power to declare war."

Earlier this week, Trump stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was in talks with the leadership of Cuba, which is dealing with a severe energy crisis that has been made worse by the U.S. blockade of the island.

At a news conference in Florida this week, Trump told reporters, "It may be a friendly takeover, ⁠it may not be a friendly takeover." After the conflict with Iran, he continued, he and Rubio will concentrate on that objective.

Cuba and the United States have had a strained relationship for decades, but Trump's use of force to eliminate foreign adversaries has sparked fears that the island may be the next target. Rubio has long advocated for the United States to vigorously challenge the leadership of the Caribbean nation. His family came to the United States from Cuba in the 1950s.

The Trump administration would "love" to see a change in the Cuban system, but Rubio warned lawmakers earlier this year that this "does not mean we are going to provoke it directly." The majority of Republicans in Congress have supported the strong foreign policy of the Trump administration.

Nonetheless, Democrats have frequently used war powers resolutions to compel discussions on Trump's authority to deploy force abroad. Although they haven't been able to pass any of the resolutions thus far, the strategy has occasionally forced the Trump administration to clarify its objectives to Congress.

Additionally, if Republicans do not agree to have public hearings on the conflict, Democrats may push votes on a number of war powers motions that pertain to Iran next week.

"He ran on American soil." First, but now it's obvious that he has turned into a puppet of his party's war hawks," Gallego said in a statement.