Congressional delegation says Trump’s sanctions are worsening the humanitarian situation in the Caribbean nation.

On Monday, U.S. Representatives Mark Pocan (WI-02), Teresa Leger Fernandez (NM-03), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03) and Maxine Dexter (OR-03), concluded an observation visit to Cuba.

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Over the last week, they witnessed the “cruel” effects that sanctions imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump are having on the Cuban economy and society. The lawmakers therefore called on their colleagues to act in favor of lifting those coercive measures.

After speaking directly to the population about the effects of energy blockade, Pocan describes the current situation as a “silent Gaza.”

“There may not be bombings, but there are certainly conditions that prevent people from going about their daily lives. They can’t go to work, they can’t preserve their food, they can’t access medical supplies, or live as they did before,” he said, as reported by AP.

I conducted oversight in Cuba to hear directly from the people living through the consequences of the White House’s blockade.

We met with religious leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, humanitarian groups, medical professionals, and farmers. Despite their… pic.twitter.com/DXhknTv2cf

— Congresswoman Maxine Dexter (@RepDexterOR) July 13, 2026

At the conclusion of their four-day congressional delegation to Cuba, the Democratic lawmakers issued the following joint statement:

“As elected lawmakers tasked with oversight of U.S. foreign policy, we traveled to Havana to meet with Cubans of all walks of life and political perspectives to hear about the hardships the Trump administration’s maximum pressure policies are creating for Cuban citizens, learn about recent reform efforts aimed at modernizing the Cuban economy, and explore ways to reset U.S.-Cuba relations on a path of engagement, diplomacy and mutual respect.

“The de facto U.S. fuel blockade on Cuba is producing indiscriminate pain for the most vulnerable Cubans, contributing to nationwide electrical blackouts—including one during our trip—buildups of trash on street corners, severe shortages of food, medicine, and public transportation, and widening inequality on the island.

“In our meetings with religious leaders, entrepreneurs, civil society organizations, humanitarian groups, medical professionals and farmers, everybody we heard from—no matter their views of the Cuban government or the pace and scope of the announced reforms—agreed on one thing: that they are being strangled to death under the current executive orders and longstanding economic blockade.

“The Trump administration has not provided any evidence that Cuba poses a pressing national security threat to the United States and our interests at home and abroad. We believe that any pretext used to launch an illegal, unauthorized, and unpopular military operation against the island would exacerbate a grave humanitarian catastrophe, put U.S. service members at unnecessary risk, and hurt the very people we claim to support.

“The severe secondary sanctions—including more announced today—mean that there is almost no fuel and no banking on the island, forcing blackouts that can last days. Foreign businesses are fleeing the island, crippling Cuba’s private sector. Without electricity, hospitals, health care and all basic services are impacted. There is a growing humanitarian crisis and international aid organizations cannot distribute aid throughout the country. In other words, our policies are killing everyday Cuban citizens.

“We call on the Trump administration and our colleagues in Congress to listen to the majority of U.S. and Cuban citizens and the rest of the world by lifting the cruel sanctions weighing on the Cuban people and engaging in serious and comprehensive negotiations with Cuban authorities that help advance trade with the island, promote respect for human rights, and provide a much-needed solution for a Cuban population that doesn’t have any more time to wait.”

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Urban Milwaukee – AP

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