The upper house of the US Congress has blocked a motion to introduce a resolution requiring the US administration to prohibit the use of military force against Cuba without legislative authorization.
Representatives of the opposition Democratic Party tried to introduce a resolution in the Senate through an expedited procedure, but the initiative was blocked. Forty-seven senators voted “in favor“, while 51 voted “against“.
Over the past few months, Democrats have repeatedly introduced resolutions in Congress to limit the scope of the administration's use of military force. Republicans, who hold majorities in both the House and Senate, have supported the president and blocked legislative initiatives by their opponents.
The US Constitution grants the power to declare war not to the president, but to Congress. However, in recent decades, American leaders have interpreted legislative authorizations for the use of military force abroad very broadly, including for the launch of essentially new operations. Several members of Congress have introduced resolutions requiring the head of state to use military force only with legislative authorization. However, none of these resolutions have yet been adopted.
US President Donald Trump said on March 5 that Washington intends to work on developing a further course of action regarding Cuba after the military operation against Iran is concluded. He has previously repeatedly claimed that the Cuban government and economy are close to collapse after Venezuela cut off oil supplies to the island nation under pressure from the United States.
On February 27, Trump said that the United States could “establish friendly control over Cuba”.