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He also threatened to use the Senates budget powers to withhold the funds needed to fully reopen the embassy building in Havanas Plaza de la Revolucin.

I intend to use every tool at our disposal in the majority to unravel as many of these changes as possible, Mr Rubio said.

His call to fight Mr Obamas diplomatic initiative was echoed by Lindsey Graham, another Republican senator.

I will do all in my power to block the use of funds to open an embassy in Cuba. Normalising relations with Cuba is bad idea at a bad time, Mr Graham said.

The stand-off illustrates the political reality Mr Obama faces in his final two years in office with Republicans fully in control of Congress. While he retains vast powers over US foreign policy the Republicans also have a wide array of tools to try to thwart him.

Josh Earnest, Mr Obama's spokesman, said it was "odd" that Mr Rubio would oppose an embassy in Cuba when he had recently spoken about the importance of the US embassy in China.

"'Senator Rubio said, 'Our embassy [in China] should be viewed as an ally of those within the Chinese society that are looking to express their fundamental rights and to worship freely,'" he said. "We think the exact same thing can be said of the new American embassy in Cuba."

The US is currently represented in Havana by a special interests section that operates under the auspices of the Swiss embassy. The section is led by a senior US diplomat who would remain the acting envoy to the Castro regime if Republicans blocked the appointment of an ambassador.

Mr Obama will also need the cooperation of Republicans to lift the 54-year-old trade embargo that bans US companies from importing or exporting to Cuba.

The President called for an honest and serious debate about ending the embargo but few in Washington believe there is any chance the Republicans will agree before Mr Obama leaves office in early 2017.

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Republicans threaten to stop US embassy opening in Cuba