WASHINGTON — U.S. Reps. Gregory W. Meeks and Pramila Jayapal announced on Thursday an effort to try to prevent a U.S. military intervention in Cuba.

Meeks, a Democrat from New York, and Jayapal, a Democrat from Washington, introduced a bill to block President Donald Trump’s use of funding without Congressional authorization.

“Trump has started illegal regime change conflicts in Venezuela and Iran and is now threatening Cuba,” Jayapal said in a statement.

The Prevent an Unconstitutional War in Cuba Act would also limit Trump’s actions to “an imminent threat” or self-defense.

“Cuba is not for Donald Trump to take, and today we stand firm against the illegal use of the U.S. military to pursue turning Cuba into another playground for Trump’s chaotic adventurism,” Meek said in a statement.

Trump blocked the flow of oil to Cuba from Venezuela and Mexico. This prompted an energy crisis plagued by transportation problems, power outages, water service disruptions, a healthcare system with delays and shortages, and unemployment.

Both Trump and Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel have acknowledged U.S.-Cuba talks, but without a deal conditions are worsening.

U.S. Reps. Gabe Amo, Joaquin Castro, Sara Jacobs, Jesús G. “Chuy” García, Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, James P. McGovern, Eleanor Holmes Norton, Mark Pocan, Janice D. Schakowsky, Melanie A. Stansbury, Dina Titus, Rashida Tlaib, and Nydia M. Velázquez also support the bill.

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Andrea Torres