SJRES 124 — Congress 119
A 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.
Official source: https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/124
Congress.gov subjects: Caribbean area; Conflicts and wars; Congressional oversight; Congressional-executive branch relations; Cuba; Presidents and presidential powers, Vice Presidents; War and emergency powers; International Affairs
Issues impacted: Defense & National Security (ai, high), Foreign Policy & Sanctions (ai, high)
Official bill text (stored)
Plain-text extraction from Congress.gov text formats. Canonical source remains the official URL above. Full text is prioritized for bills with roll-call votes.
94 SJ 124 IS: 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. U.S. Senate 2026-03-12 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain. IIA 119th CONGRESS 2d Session S. J. RES. 124 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 12, 2026 Mr. Kaine (for himself, Mr. Schiff , and Mr. Gallego ) introduced the following joint resolution; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 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. 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 ). 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.
Plain-English summary
Confidence: high · Complexity: moderate · Model: grok-4.5
This joint resolution is Congress telling the President to pull U.S. troops out of any fighting in or against Cuba that Congress never green-lit.
Here’s the core idea. Only Congress can declare war. It hasn’t done that for Cuba, and it hasn’t passed a specific law saying “use force there.” So this measure directs the President to remove the Armed Forces from hostilities in or against Cuba unless Congress later gives clear permission. It counts things like a blockade or quarantine by the military or Coast Guard as the kind of “hostilities” the War Powers rules cover—those are the laws meant to keep Congress in the loop when troops get into fights.
There’s a clear limit baked in. Nothing here stops the U.S. from defending itself against an armed attack, a threat of an imminent attack, or from running lawful counternarcotics work.
Who might notice? Service members and families tied to any Cuba-related missions, and anyone who watches how Congress and the White House share power over military force. The text is the policy ask; whether it gets a full vote still depends on floor procedure.
Related issues
How a vote maps to positions
Impartial mapping: which issue position a Yea vs Nay advances. When a bill has multiple floor votes, each roll can have its own mapping. Bill-level entries (no roll listed) apply as a default when a roll has no specific map. Used for legislator alignment.
All rolls (bill default)
| Issue | Yea advances | Nay advances | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Foreign Policy & Sanctions | Restraint and limited overseas commitments | Status quo / reject this change | Yea directs removal of U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities in/against Cuba; Nay keeps the prior posture and rejects that directive. |
| Defense & National Security | Reduce defense outlays or scope | Status quo / reject this change | Yea narrows the scope of U.S. military engagement by ordering exit from Cuba hostilities without a war declaration or AUMF; Nay rejects that limit on current operations. |