Continuous rounds of gunfire could be heard from outside the White House on Saturday evening, sparking a lockdown order from the U.S. Secret Service.

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Squabbles between Capitol Hill and the White House over war powers are nothing new, but recent Democrat-backed efforts to restrict President Donald Trump’s military authority have been gaining traction, as Congress challenges Trump’s actions in the Middle East, Latin America, and Europe.

Now, Democrats in the Senate are preparing a vote on whether or not the administration can use force against Cuba.

Since the Department of Justice unveiled charges against 94-year-old former Cuban president Raúl Castro, multiple Cabinet-level officials have been ramping up pressure on the island nation.

“This isn’t a show indictment,” acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said Wednesday of Castro, who is facing murder charges for the fatal downing of two planes carrying American citizens in 1996. “There was a warrant issued for his arrest, so we expect that he will show up here [in America] by his own will or by another way.”

The prosecution of Castro is reminiscent of the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on drug trafficking charges, which the administration used as justification for the arrest of the head of state in a military operation.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also indicated the administration is dead serious about Cuba.

Asked about the possibility of striking Cuba to induce regime change, Rubio told reporters Thursday the United States prefers a “negotiated diplomatic settlement” in Cuba, but that “the president always has the option to do whatever it takes to support and protect the national security of the United States.”

In the same conversation, Rubio argued Cuba is “a national security threat to the United States” due to Russian and Chinese weapons and “intelligence presence” in the country.

On Thursday, Democrat Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia, Adam Schiff of California, and Ruben Gallego of Arizona introduced a resolution that would block hostilities against Cuba. 

War Powers Resolution Momentum

While the Cuba war powers legislation is unlikely to gather a veto-proof level of support, recent war powers resolutions have been gaining traction in Congress.

Expedited procedures in the House and Senate allow the minority to bypass leadership and force votes on war powers resolutions.

On Tuesday, the Senate advanced a resolution to deprive the president of his power to use force against Iran.

The resolution advanced by a 50-47 vote, with four Republican senators voting in favor: Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine.

In the House, where an Iran war powers resolution failed in a tie last month, leadership sent the chamber into recess a day early on Thursday, canceling a planned war powers vote.

If the House’s concurrent resolution disapproving of the Iran war had come to the floor and succeeded, it would likely not be binding on the president due to a Supreme Court precedent blocking unilateral legislative vetoes on presidential action.

However, it would be a public defeat for the Republican administration’s military agenda in Congress.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued leadership punted on the vote because it would have succeeded.

“We had the votes to pass it today. Every Democrat was on board, [and] we had the sufficient number of Republicans on board,” Meeks told reporters.

The administration is also facing some Capitol Hill pushback on its troop movements in Europe, as Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and House Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., have both publicly criticized troop withdrawals from Germany.

Rogers told Punchbowl News in a recent interview that he is seeking legislative “guardrails” to prevent European troop withdrawals going forward.

The 2026 National Defense Authorization Act—an annual defense policy bill—included provisions intended to block the executive branch from withdrawing forces from Europe without congressional approval.

Legislation that would bar illegal immigrants and non-English speakers from obtaining commercial driver’s licenses is advancing in the U.S. House after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy renewed his push for the measure this week.

“Dalilah’s Law would have revoked this illegal trucker’s license,” Duffy wrote on X, responding to reports that an illegal immigrant truck driver was arrested in connection with a hit-and-run that injured two people near Sacramento, California. “Congress must pass Dalilah’s Law NOW.”

Testifying earlier this week before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Duffy said he is committed to restoring “integrity and safety” to the trucking industry while improving job prospects for American drivers.

“It was the policy of the last administration to allow for unqualified foreign drivers to get behind the wheel of a truck,” he said, criticizing the administration of former President Joe Biden. “Those days are over.”

“We’ve also knocked more than 20,000 drivers out of service for failing to meet basic requirements like reading our road signs or being able to communicate with law enforcement,” Duffy added. “These changes aren’t just keeping you and your family safe on the road—they have the added benefits of boosting wages of hardworking American truckers.”

The bill, introduced by Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., has been referred to the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and could soon advance to a committee vote before heading to the House floor.

Houchin’s legislation is named after Dalilah Coleman, who was 5 years old when she was severely injured in a crash involving an illegal immigrant truck driver who allegedly ran a stop sign.

President Donald Trump highlighted Coleman and her family during his January State of the Union address as he urged Congress to act on the proposal.

“Many, if not most, illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs as to direction, speed, danger, or location,” Trump said. “That’s why tonight I’m calling on Congress to pass what we will call the Dalilah Law, barring any state from granting commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens.”

In the Senate, the companion measure is being led by Sen. Jim Banks, R-Ind., a close ally of the president.

If enacted, the legislation would prohibit issuing CDLs to individuals who are not U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, or holders of certain work visas. It would also require states to permanently disqualify individuals who are not citizens or lawful permanent residents from operating commercial vehicles.

“If you can’t speak English or read a road sign, you have no business driving a truck in the United States of America. This is common sense, this is basic public safety, and this is why I’m leading The Dalilah Law,” Banks said in a statement to the Daily Signal.

Democrats have opposed the bill, arguing that it “demonizes” illegal immigrants.

Banks, speaking on the Daily Signal’s “Tony Kinnett Cast,” said differing state policies have contributed to safety concerns.

“When you have Gov. Gavin Newsom in California, or blue states like California or New York, [where] they hand out truck driving licenses to illegals like candy, of course you’re going to see them behind the wheel of a semi and tragically killing people,” Banks said.

Banks added that Coleman continues to recover but faces lasting effects from the crash.

“She will never be the same—she’s recovered physically, but she will never be the same,” he said.