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To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Republic of Cuba that have not been authorized by Congress.
To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Republic of Cuba that have not been authorized by Congress.
Summary
This joint resolution directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Cuba unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force from Congress. The resolution asserts that Congress has not declared war on Cuba or enacted statutory authorization for military force against Cuba, and characterizes any use of military force against Cuba as introduction into hostilities under the War Powers Resolution. The resolution invokes expedited procedures under the Department of State Authorization Act and the International Security and Arms Export Control Act for congressional action. It includes a provision stating that nothing in the resolution prevents the United States from defending itself against armed attack, threat of imminent armed attack, or conducting lawful counternarcotics operations. The resolution is based on findings about Congress's constitutional power to declare war and the President's responsibility to defend the nation.
AI-generated plain-language summary of the bill text — neutral, and may be imperfect. See the full text below for the exact wording.
Sponsor (1)
12 cosponsors
- Rep. Casar, Greg [D-TX-35] (D-TX)
- Rep. Dexter, Maxine [D-OR-3] (D-OR)
- Rep. Foushee, Valerie P. [D-NC-4] (D-NC)
- Rep. Hoyle, Val T. [D-OR-4] (D-OR)
- Rep. Jackson, Jonathan L. [D-IL-1] (D-IL)
- Rep. Jayapal, Pramila [D-WA-7] (D-WA)
- Rep. Khanna, Ro [D-CA-17] (D-CA)
- Rep. McGovern, James P. [D-MA-2] (D-MA)
- Rep. Omar, Ilhan [D-MN-5] (D-MN)
- Rep. Ramirez, Delia C. [D-IL-3] (D-IL)
- Rep. Simon, Lateefah [D-CA-12] (D-CA)
- Rep. Tlaib, Rashida [D-MI-12] (D-MI)
Actions (2)
- Mar 24, 2026 Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. · house
- Mar 24, 2026 Introduced in House
Similar bills (6)
Bills with similar text or summary — includes reintroductions across Congresses. Ranked by semantic similarity of the bill text (computed locally); a neutral discovery aid, not a claim the bills are duplicates.
Text versions (1)
Bills are re-published as they move (Introduced → Reported → Engrossed → Enrolled …). Each stage below is a separate text; pick two to see what changed. Data from Congress.gov.
Full text
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 24, 2026
Ms. Velazquez submitted the following joint resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
JOINT RESOLUTION
To direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against the Republic of Cuba that have not been authorized by Congress.
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution.
(2) The President has a constitutional responsibility to take actions to defend the United States, its territories, its possessions, citizens, service members, and diplomats from attack.
(3) Congress has not declared war upon Cuba or upon any person or organization within Cuba, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for the use of military force within or against Cuba.
(4) The use of force by the United States Armed Forces within or against Cuba, including the use of the United States Coast Guard and other components of the Armed Forces to conduct a blockade or quarantine of Cuba, constitutes the introduction of United States Armed Forces into hostilities within the meaning of section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1543(a)).
(5) Section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 (50 U.S.C. 1546a) provides that any joint resolution or bill requiring the removal of United States Armed Forces from imminent engagement in hostilities without a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization shall be considered in accordance with the expedited procedures under section 601(b) of the International Security and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-
329).
SEC. 2. REMOVAL OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES FROM HOSTILITIES WITHIN OR AGAINST CUBA.
(a) Removal.—Pursuant to section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act, Fiscal Years 1984 and 1985 (50 U.S.C. 1546a), and in accordance with section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (Public Law 94-329), Congress hereby directs the President to remove the United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Cuba, unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or a specific authorization for use of military force.
(b) Rule of Construction.—Nothing in this section may be construed to prevent the United States from defending itself from an armed attack, the threat of an imminent armed attack, or the lawful execution of counternarcotics operations. <all>
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