Mediaboss Marketing

Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who may run for president in 2016, is leading a Republican charge to do everything possible to block President Barack Obamas move to normalize relations with Cuba.

Yet even Rubio says there may be little the Republican-controlled Congress can do.

I would concede that many of the changes that have been made today, such as diplomatic relations, fall within the purview of the presidency, Rubio told reporters today in Washington.

Rubio, whose parents left Cuba in 1956, said Republican lawmakers will use every tool at our disposal in the majority to unravel as many of these changes as possible.

Blocking funds for an embassy in Cuba and refusing to confirm an ambassador to the island nation are steps Rubio and others in his party suggested Congress might be able to take.

Were going to have a very interesting couple of years discussing how youre going to get an ambassador nominated and how youre going to get an embassy funded, said Rubio, who is set to become chairman of a panel that oversees foreign relations in the Western Hemisphere.

The president announced today that the U.S. will open an embassy in Havana and loosen a half-century-old trade and travel embargo. Fully lifting the full trade embargo would require action by Congress, where both chambers will be led by Republicans starting in January.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters today that congressional appropriations may not be necessary to set up an embassy in Cuba because theres already a significant U.S. diplomatic presence there.

Obamas action, a day after Congress adjourned for the year, sets up another fight for early 2015 between the White House and Republican lawmakers as attention begins to turn to the 2016 presidential race. Rubio is among lawmakers considering a presidential run, as are fellow Republican senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

The expiration of funding for Department of Homeland Security on Feb. 27 could provide an opportunity for Republicans to try to curb Obamas Cuba move. Republicans want to attach language to the measure to block Obamas orders easing deportation for undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

See the original post here:
Republicans Look for Ways to Block Obamas Cuba Policy in 2015