NEW YORK – The Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) issued a statement on Tuesday sharply condemning a new executive order from President Trump targeting Cuba, labeling the action a “reckless escalation” that deepens a “failed U.S. foreign policy.”

In the statement, the DSA argues that the order, which threatens tariffs against countries supplying oil to Cuba, is designed to create a humanitarian crisis. The organization asserted that the policy “will crush ordinary people, destabilize daily life, and worsen shortages at a moment when Cuba is already facing severe hardship,” describing the move as “economic warfare, not national security.”

The DSA’s message directly challenges the premise that Cuba poses a danger to the United States. “Cuba is not a threat to the U.S.,” the statement reads, pointing instead to the country’s international contributions, such as brokering peace negotiations in Colombia, sending doctors to combat Ebola, and providing global disaster relief. The organization dismissed any “baseless ‘terrorism’ smears” against Cuba, arguing that the real threat is to the millions of Cubans who rely on fuel for essential services like electricity, food refrigeration, transportation, and hospitals.

The statement also connected the foreign policy decision to domestic class interests, claiming the order’s “renewed Monroe Doctrine” does not “put America first” but instead “only serves to enrich Trump and the billionaire class.” The DSA contended that the policy runs contrary to public sentiment, citing that “broad majorities of Americans, including Cuban-Americans, support normalization” and an end to the blockade.

Drawing a broader connection, the DSA stated that the “violence and coercion the U.S. exercises abroad reflects the same policies of violence and coercion it inflicts on minorities and working people at home.” The organization called for a foreign policy rooted in “dignity, solidarity, and the right of every nation to live and govern themselves free from U.S. coercion.”

The statement concluded with a direct appeal to lawmakers, calling on Congress to “immediately reject this escalation of hostilities, block the implementation of this Executive Order, and take up legislation to end the blockade.” The DSA posited that the United States should instead be “following Cuba’s example on the international stage: working for peace, stability, and normalization.”

Read the full statement below.

President Trump’s new executive order is a reckless escalation of failed U.S. foreign policy toward Cuba. 

By threatening tariffs on any country that provides oil to Cuba, this executive order will deepen a humanitarian crisis that the United States itself has manufactured through more than six decades of blockade. These measures will crush ordinary people, destabilize daily life, and worsen shortages at a moment when Cuba is already facing severe hardship.

Cuba is not a threat to the U.S. For decades, it has been a force for peace — brokering negotiations in Colombia, sending doctors to fight Ebola, and offering disaster relief across the globe. No baseless “terrorism” smears will rewrite that record. The real threat is to millions of people in Cuba who need fuel for vital infrastructure like electricity, refrigerating food, transportation, and hospitals. This is economic warfare, not national security. 

This executive order claims to “put America first” but the violence of this renewed Monroe Doctrine only serves to enrich Trump and the billionaire class. Broad majorities of Americans, including Cuban-Americans, support normalization, expanded travel rights, and an end to the cruel blockade. 

We understand, now more than ever, that the violence and coercion the U.S. exercises abroad reflects the same policies of violence and coercion it inflicts on minorities and working people at home. Whether in Palestine, Venezuela, or Cuba, Americans are ready for a foreign policy rooted in dignity, solidarity, and the right of every nation to live and govern themselves free from U.S. coercion. 

We call on Congress to immediately reject this escalation of hostilities, block the implementation of this Executive Order, and take up legislation to end the blockade and restore a sane, humane policy toward Cuba. The United States should be following Cuba’s example on the international stage: working for peace, stability, and normalization.