Statement of Senator Peter Welch
for the Congressional Record
on the Humanitarian Crisis in Cuba
June 18, 2026
Mr. President, whatever one thinks of the Cuban government—and I am one who believes it’s repressive policies and mismanagement of the economy have caused immense hardship for the Cuban people—the depth of misery and desperation people in Cuba are currently experiencing is largely due to the oil blockade, for which the United States is responsible.
More than 84% of Cuba’s total energy supply relies on oil and petroleum products. Cuba’s economy is entirely dependent on imported fuel to power its electrical grid, agriculture, and transportation needs; the country typically requiring around 100,000 barrels per day to function normally. Since January 30th, the United States has imposed an illegal blockade on oil shipments to Cuba, so the island is entirely dependent on domestic production which consists of heavy, high-sulfur crude that cannot be easily refined.
When asked about the humanitarian crisis on the island, where electricity is unavailable most hours of the day and night and hospitals, schools, and factories have all but ceased to function, the Trump Administration routinely blames the Cuban authorities. Any objective observer knows that is a convenient oversimplification.
Imagine if there was no electricity in this country for lack of access to oil, due to the hostile acts of another government. We would rightly condemn it as an act of war. Cuba is a bankrupt country the size of Virginia that poses no threat to the United States. And today, Cuba’s economy has all but collapsed.
According to the United Nations, the impact of the oil blockade has been devastating for Cuba’s health system. More than 100,000 surgeries have been delayed, including 12,000 pediatric procedures, due to acute shortages of medicines and medical supplies. Survival rates for children with cancer have fallen from 85% to 65%. That amounts to thousands of children who would otherwise be alive today.
More than 2.5 million people are experiencing water shortages—more than one fifth of the total Cuban population. The national water system is functioning with only 37% of the fuel required, and 84% of water pumping runs on electricity. Food prices have increased by 18%. Energy shortages are disrupting agricultural production, food processing, refrigeration, and distribution. Hunger and malnutrition are widespread.
The lack of electricity and water, combined with food shortages, is causing psychological distress and exhaustion, especially among children, the elderly, and caregivers.
The streets are overflowing with rotting garbage. The hurricane season is beginning, and rising temperatures are creating conditions for a surge in vector-borne and waterborne diseases when the health system is already stretched to its limits.
The bottom line is this: all basic services, from potable water and sanitation to food production and healthcare are being severely impacted by the lack of fuel and electricity caused by the U.S. oil blockade.
The energy crisis is also limiting the ability of the UN and other humanitarian agencies to deliver aid already committed, with dozens of containers of food and medical supplies reportedly still sitting in ports due to the lack of fuel. The UN’s Plan of Action to respond to the crisis is only 21% funded. The U.S. has offered $100 million through private mechanisms like the Catholic Church, but it has not yet been delivered.
Mr. President, we would all like to see a better government in Cuba—one that cares more about the Cuban people than in holding onto power and enriching themselves. I would say the same about other corrupt, undemocratic governments, including some we treat as partners. But the American people have always opposed using food and medicine as a weapon. That has been a bedrock principle that Republican and Democratic administrations, and the Congress, have reaffirmed over decades. By cutting off the oil, we are imposing collective punishment on Cuba’s most vulnerable people. Children and the elderly are dying needlessly.
I urge Secretary of State Rubio to consider the human cost of the Administration’s oil blockade. It’s illegal. It’s immoral. It’s preventable. And it’s beneath this country.
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