Senate

Senate Republicans warn Trump against Cuba military attack

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by Alexander Bolton - 05/12/26 6:00 AM ET

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by Alexander Bolton - 05/12/26 6:00 AM ET

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Senate Republicans are cautioning President Trump against ordering military strikes against the socialist regime in Cuba, arguing the U.S. military already has its hands full with Iran.

The Trump administration, these Republicans say, should not be thinking about opening another front for the military in a midterm election year where voters are already showing their displeasure with the war in Iran.

They say finding a conclusion to the Iran war should be the nation’s, and the administration’s, priority.

Asked about the prospect of a U.S. military operation to topple Cuba’s regime, Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) on Monday said the conflict with Iran is a top national security priority.

“I think right now we’re focused on where we are and that is trying to get the Strait of Hormuz opened up,” he said.

Members of the Trump administration have long had Cuba in their sights, and officials have repeatedly made statements indicating action could come against Havana.

Trump said earlier this month that U.S. forces will take over Cuba “almost immediately” and floated the possibility of deploying an aircraft carrier group off the island’s coast.

In recent days, the U.S. Navy and Air Force have increased the number of intelligence gathering flights off of Cuba’s coast, renewing speculation that Trump could order another surprise operation similar to the one that led to the capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January.

But GOP lawmakers are cautioning Trump to stay focused on the conflict with Iran and finding a way to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, where cargo traffic has slowed to a trickle, causing worldwide energy prices to surge and gas prices in the U.S. to rise precipitously.

Thune said he would “love” to see Cuba’s socialist government fall, but he expressed his preference that it happen “organically” from the economic pressure imposed from tightened U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade.

“I’d love to see regime change, we all would, in Cuba,” he said. “Maybe that happens just by force of events. I think things are happening around the world putting more pressure on a lot of these dictatorial-type governments. Maybe there’s something there that will happen organically.”

Thune sounded cool on the idea floated by some Republican colleagues to suspend the 18.4-cent federal gas tax, and he said reopening the Strait of Hormuz, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil supplies travel, is the far better option.

Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference, said he would not support a military campaign against Cuba and urged the president to let toughened economic sanctions take their toll on the regime.

Asked if he would support a military operation against Cuba, Lankford said, “No, I would not.”

“There’s a lot of economic pressure you can put on Cuba that makes a big difference by itself,” he said.

Senate Republicans are concerned about stretching American forces too thin as military operations against Iran have gone on far longer than the four to five weeks that Trump initially estimated the fight would last.

Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), who led a bipartisan congressional delegation trip to China last week, said he “trusts” Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio to handle national security policy, but he expressed his preference for reducing U.S. involvement in foreign military engagements.

“I trust the president and Secretary Rubio’s instincts. They’re much closer to that situation, frankly, than I am, especially Secretary Rubio,” he said.

But Daines noted that even though Cuba is “in our backyard,” he said “at this point I think I’d rather see less conflict than more given what’s going on in the world.”

Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) flatly stated “no” when asked whether she would support a military operation against Cuba.

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) warned that launching a military operation against Cuba would be a mistake and suggested that Cuba is open to reforming its economy with American investment.

“I want less war, not more,” he said. “I’m not for a war with Cuba. Cuba right now economically is suffering from the blockade but I think they were suffering even before the blockade because of socialism.

“When I’ve talked to their ambassador, I think they are open to negotiations, they are open to better relationships. They told me they’re open to American investment,” he added. “That really the way she transform societies.”

Senate Republican Policy Committee Chair Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) downplayed the likelihood of military strikes against Cuba but said Iran should be the administration’s main focus.

“I