US Senate blocks bid to stop Trump using military against Cuba
Key takeaways
- Senator Tim Kaine says if anyone did to the US ‘what we are doing to Cuba’, it would be considered ‘an act of war’.
- Republican Senator Rick Scott of Florida, who introduced the point of order that stopped the resolution, said a war powers vote was not appropriate because Trump has not deployed troops against Havana.
- In a later post on social media, Scott said: “If we want REAL reform in Cuba, the illegitimate Castro/Diaz-Canel regime must fall.”
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
Senator Tim Kaine says if anyone did to the US ‘what we are doing to Cuba’, it would be considered ‘an act of war’.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo People prepare to ride their bicycles as part of the 'Youth Anti-Imperialist Parade on Wheels' along the Malecon in Havana, Cuba, on April 2, 2026 [Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA]By Al Jazeera Staff, Reuters and The Associated Press Published On 29 Apr 202629 Apr 2026The United States Senate has blocked a resolution that would have prevented President Donald Trump from ordering military action against Cuba without congressional approval.
The Republican-led Senate voted 51 to 47 on Tuesday, almost entirely along party lines, on a procedural measure that blocked a Democratic-led war powers resolution, as members of Trump’s party argued that there are no active US hostilities against Cuba and curbing the president’s powers was not necessary.