Congressional Democrats Push to End Trump’s Cuba Blockade
With November’s midterm elections approaching, a growing number of Democrats are speaking out against the Trump administration’s economic war on Cuba.
“If we win the House…we are focused on legislation that would quickly be introduced to end the blockade on Cuba,” Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI) said this week. “People are hurting, they don’t have access to healthcare. It’s not a way for any country to live.”
Dingell is not alone. In recent months, dozens of congressional Democrats have challenged Trump's Cuba policy, while others have traveled to the island to witness the consequences of U.S. economic warfare firsthand.
In April, 52 Democratic lawmakers signed a letter demanding an end to the blockade. That same month, Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) and Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) visited Havana, describing the consequences of U.S. policy as “cruel collective punishment.”
Four more House Democrats visited the island in July, meeting with Cuban medical workers and private business owners, calling the Trump administration’s oil blockade “evil” and “immoral.”
Meanwhile, Democrats in both chambers have introduced resolutions seeking to prevent Trump from launching military action against Cuba without congressional authorization.
In March, Sens. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced a resolution aimed at blocking an unauthorized U.S. attack on the island. Senate Republicans blocked the measure in April by a 51–47 vote.
House Democrats have mounted their own challenge. Reps. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) and Nydia Velázquez (D-NY) backed another resolution in May to terminate unauthorized U.S. military action against Cuba, citing Trump's repeated threats to take over the island and the administration's escalating oil blockade.
Last month, 45 faith, peace, labor, health and political organizations urgedHouse Democratic leaders to bring the measure to a vote, arguing that Trump’s oil blockade already amounts to an act of war that Congress never authorized.
