1. United States
2. S.C.
3. Letter

The current administration's recent shift toward an energy blockade on Cuba, codified in Executive Order 14380 and expanded by Executive Order 14404, represents a severe failure of diplomatic statesmanship and a disregard for fundamental humanitarian standards. By threatening secondary sanctions against any nation that provides fuel to the Cuban people, the administration has effectively weaponized energy access, leading to widespread power grid failures, the disruption of critical medical services, and the documented threat of a food security crisis. The current strategy—which prioritizes isolation over professional diplomacy—fails the test of institutional competency for the following reasons: 1. Institutional Negligence - The administration is choosing to bypass traditional diplomatic channels in favor of unilateral economic coercion. This transactional approach risks regional instability and an escalated migration crisis, ignoring the reality that energy deprivation does not resolve political disputes but instead accelerates humanitarian collapse. 2. Violation of International Norms - By coercing sovereign third-party nations into altering their lawful commercial relations under threat of punitive trade measures, the United States is undermining the principle of sovereign equality and risking the collective punishment of the civilian population. 3. Failure of Proportionality - The administration’s labeling of the current situation as an extraordinary national security threat lacks empirical support and appears designed to justify the use of executive power to avoid the oversight of Congress. I urge you to fulfill your Article I oversight authority by demanding a full, public briefing on the humanitarian impacts of these sanctions. I further urge you to introduce legislation to prevent the use of taxpayer resources for operations that result in the collective punishment of civilians. Lastly, I expect you to publicly reject any calls by this administration to escalate our current standing with Cuba with military action of any kind. Trump must answer to Congress in respect to military action, and Congress must not allow us to get entangled in yet another unnecessary conflict!