The Trump administration has escalated the decades-long embargo on Cuba by completely cutting off the island’s access to oil. And the results have been devastating.
President Díaz-Canel stated last week that no fuel has entered Cuba in three months. The country is now experiencing blackouts lasting up to 30 hours. Schools are closed, hospitals are canceling surgeries, and essential medicines and medical supplies are running dangerously low. Waste is piling up in the streets as garbage trucks sit idle without fuel. Food prices have skyrocketed. A car ride that cost 250 pesos in December now costs 500 or more. The United Nations has warned of potential humanitarian “collapse” if the country’s oil needs continue to go unmet.
This is a deliberate act of economic warfare. But it could get worse unless we act now>>
The Trump administration has already used military force in its dealings with Cuba, seizing ships en route to delivering oil to the island. President Trump has also threatened a “takeover” of the country, leaving the possibility of military intervention very much on the table. Both governments have confirmed talks to address the current crisis — but given the Trump administration’s recent operations in Venezuela and Iran, we have no reason to believe they’ll hold back on Cuba.
It’s time for Congress to step up. A bill that would stop the U.S. from going to war with Cuba without congressional approval was just introduced by Sens. Kaine, Gallego, and Schiff. This new War Powers Resolution (S.J.Res.124) specifically prohibits the use of the U.S. Coast Guard and other components of the Armed Forces to enforce a blockade or quarantine on Cuba.
This is where you come in.
Take Action
Your senators need to hear from YOU!
✉️ Click here to send a message to your senators and urge them to support S.J.Res.124.
📞 Click here to look up your senators’ phone numbers. Call and use this script:
“My name is [YOUR NAME] from [YOUR CITY]. I’m calling to urge [Senator NAME] to vote YES on the War Powers Resolution — that is, S.J.Res.124 — to stop the United States from going to war with Cuba. Congress must reassert its constitutional power over military action. Thank you.”
Cutting off fuel to an island of 10 million people is cruel. Military intervention would be unconscionable. And it would be the Cuban people who pay the heaviest price. But Americans would pay too: in tax dollars spent on yet another endless military conflict, at a time when so many of us are already struggling to make ends meet.
Congress has the power to stop a military escalation — and you have the power to move Congress. Make the call. Send the email. Do it today.
In solidarity,
Andrea for the LAWG Team
