US Democrats push to rein in Trump on Cuba as White House steps up pressure

By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON, May 20 (Reuters) – A group of Democratic U.S. senators introduced a resolution to stop President Donald Trump from using the military against Cuba on Wednesday, as his administration escalated pressure on the island’s government by indicting former President Raul Castro.

Democrats Tim Kaine of Virginia, Adam Schiff of California and Ruben Gallego of Arizona introduced a War Powers Resolution to block the use of the U.S. armed forces against the Communist-ruled island.

They cited the Republican president’s repeated threats to send in the troops to change the government in Havana and reports that the U.S. Southern Command has been ordered to draw up attack plans, even though Cuba does not pose a significant national security threat to the U.S.

“The U.S. military is the best in the world, but our servicemembers shouldn’t be sent into harm’s way when there’s no clear benefit to the United States,” said Kaine, a leader of efforts in Congress to enforce the Constitution’s provision that the legislature, not the president, has the power to declare war.

In a rare rebuke to Trump, the Republican-majority Senate voted on Tuesday to advance a resolution to end the Iran war unless the administration obtains Congress’ authorization. It was the eighth time this year such a resolution was introduced in the Senate.

Although members of Congress, including some Republicans, are concerned about Trump’s multiple deployments of U.S. forces, it was not immediately clear how a Cuba war powers resolution would fare in a chamber where Trump’s fellow Republicans hold a 53-47 majority.

Last month, the Senate voted by 51 to 47, almost entirely along party lines, to block a similar Cuba war powers resolution. At the time, Republicans argued that there were no active U.S. hostilities against Cuba, so the resolution was unnecessary.

Trump has increased pressure on Cuba by imposing a fuel blockade that has triggered sustained power outages and dealt fresh blows to the island’s already struggling economy.

“The last thing that our country needs right now is a regime change war in Cuba based on imaginary threats to the homeland that would devastate the Cuban people and generate a man-made migration crisis,” Kaine said in a statement.

(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle;Editing by Sanjeev Miglani)