The tally was 51 to 47, and it ended the debate before it started. On Tuesday, Senate Republicans voted down a Democratic resolution that would have forced President Donald Trump to get approval from Congress before taking military action against Cuba.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia wrote the resolution under the War Powers Act. Sens. Ruben Gallego and Adam Schiff were also sponsors. Republicans did not argue the merits. They moved to dismiss it as out of order, saying the United States is not in an active military conflict with Cuba. Sen. Rick Scott of Florida raised the objection, which sought to keep the measure in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and he said no U.S. troops have been deployed to the island.
Kaine saw it differently. Sanctions enforcement and disruption of fuel shipments, he said, already amount to hostilities, and he argued they have worsened conditions on the island, cutting access to fuel, water and medical services. His text counted the use of the Coast Guard and other armed forces to blockade or quarantine Cuba as a hostile act needing Congress’s approval.
The vote
Party lines mostly held. Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Rand Paul voted with Democrats against the objection. Democrat John Fetterman went the other way and joined Republicans. Fox News reported that Sen. Mitch McConnell also helped Democrats force the vote.
Asked by Fox News Digital whether he was surprised that most Republicans stayed in line, Kaine said, “You gotta ask Republicans about their position.” He added that several of them cite the 60-day limit on the Iran war, and that a vote on that conflict would come near the deadline at the end of the week.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer urged Republicans to “do Trump a favor” and join the effort. “The last thing working Americans need right now is another war, let alone one that’s 90 miles south of the United States,” he said on the Senate floor.
What prompted it
Trump set the stage himself. He said in March that “I do believe I’ll be the honor, having the honor of taking Cuba.” Speaking to a Turning Point USA event in Phoenix on a Friday, he predicted that a day “70 years in waiting” was coming, “A New Dawn for Cuba,” and said, “We’re going to help them out with Cuba.” He has also called Cuba a nation “in free fall” and said his administration would turn to it after Iran.
Republicans defended the approach as pressure on Cuba’s leaders to carry out political and economic reforms. Scott said Washington should back efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the region.
Democrats noted that earlier attempts to restrict Trump’s authority over Iran and Venezuela had also failed.
Sources
- Senate Gives President Trump Exactly What He Wants With 51 – 47 Vote – Democrats Fail To Limit War Powers Against Cuba
- Dem plot to limit Trump war powers on Cuba fails as GOP falls in line with military action abroad
- U.S. Senate rejects motion limiting Trump's war powers regarding Cuba
