Sen. Tim Kaine said that if someone did to the United States “what we are doing to Cuba,” it would be considered an “act of war.”
Published April 29, 2026
The US 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 51-47 on Tuesday, almost entirely along party lines, to pass a procedural measure blocking the Democratic-led War Powers Resolution. This is because members of the Trump party argued that there is no active hostility by the United States toward Cuba and that there is no need to limit the president’s powers.
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Sen. Rick Scott, Republican of Florida, offered the order to kill the resolution, saying a war powers vote was not appropriate because President Trump has not sent troops to Havana.
Scott later said in a social media post: “If we want real reform in Cuba, the illegitimate Castro/Díaz-Canel regime must fall.”
“I’m glad that under (President Trump’s) leadership, there is real hope for a new day of freedom, prosperity, and patria y vida.”
President Trump has threatened Cuba’s leadership several times in recent months, warning that “Cuba is next.”
The warning comes amid the U.S. government’s war against Iran and after the U.S. military abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife in early January, a military operation not approved by Congress.
Most recently, President Trump promised a “new dawn for Cuba.”
Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, the lead sponsor of a resolution to curb President Trump’s moves against Cuba, argued that U.S. efforts to block fuel shipments to the communist-held island already amount to a type of military action.
“If someone was doing to the United States what we are doing to Cuba, we certainly would consider it an act of war,” Kaine said in a Senate speech before the vote.
“My argument is that Cuba is already in a hostile relationship with Cuba based on the terms of the resolution, because Cuba has imposed a very devastating economic blockade, primarily using the U.S. military, including the Coast Guard,” Cain said.
Tuesday’s vote was the first on Cuba and comes as Democrats have repeatedly failed in both the House and Senate to force President Trump to approve Congressional military operations.
The U.S. Constitution states that only Congress, not the president, can declare war, but that restriction does not apply to short-term “operations” or in response to immediate threats.
The White House maintains that President Trump’s actions were within his rights and duty as commander in chief to protect the United States.
