Partly true2026-05
What is circulating
“In a Spanish-language video on X on 20 May 2026, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Cubans they endure 22 hours a day without electricity "not due to an oil 'blockade' by the US."”
Claimed by Marco Rubio, Secretary of State · social media
The facts
PolitiFact rated the claim Half True. Cuba's blackouts date to the early 1990s and reflect long neglect of the grid, which needs 110,000 barrels of oil a day but can produce 40,000. But Cuba's oil imports fell to zero by the end of January 2026 after a U.S. executive order threatened tariffs on suppliers, and blackouts have worsened since, which an expert said the U.S. aggravated but did not create.