Havana syndrome advocates press Trump, Rubio and Ratcliffe to seek answers from Cuba

Jun. 3, 2026, 5:41 PM EDT

A decade after U.S. personnel in Cuba began reporting unexplained neurological incidents, a phenomenon that came to be known as Havana syndrome, victims are arguing that the Trump administration has a rare opportunity to use its vast new leverage over the Cuban government to force it to hand over any information it has about what happened.

“There is an enormous opportunity here for the Cubans to come clean,” said Marc Polymeropoulos, a former senior CIA official and MS NOW contributor who was diagnosed with a traumatic brain injury in 2021. “This would be an ideal chance to show their seriousness and that they are interested in improving relations with the U.S. It’s a perfect test.”

Polymeropoulos and other victims called for CIA Director John Ratcliffe, who met with senior Cuban officials last month in Havanaand Secretary of State Marco Rubio to pressure the Cuban government to turn over any information it has regarding what may have caused the illnesses. Now is the time, they contended, with Cuba’s economy near collapse.

A spokesperson for Ratcliffe referred MS NOW to the White House, and the White House declined to comment. A State Department spokesperson said Rubio and the administration continue to prioritize the issue.

“As the Secretary said, ‘there is no doubt that something caused our people to be suffering. It is a top commitment of the United States to support those who serve our country,’” the spokesperson said. “President Trump will always act to protect Americans, our interests and our homeland from any threats.”

The 2021 HAVANA Act established medical and financial support for U.S. government employees and their families who were affected by what are formally known as anomalous health incidents, or AHIs. The law was designed to streamline access to care and ensure long-term support while the U.S. government investigated the cause of the reported symptoms.

Despite years of investigations across multiple administrations and agencies, U.S. officials still have not determined a single definitive explanation to account for the hundreds of reported incidents in various countries.

CNN reported in January and “60 Minutes” reported in March that the Department of Defense has spent more than a year evaluating a backpack-sized device obtained through a covert Homeland Security Department operation that may have played a role in the attacks. DOD officials have been testing the device, described as capable of emitting pulsed radio-frequency energy and containing components of Russian origin, but it has not been linked to any confirmed cases.

Scientists remain divided over whether the reported symptoms stem from environmental exposure, psychological factors, preexisting medical conditions, some kind of directed energy weapon like the backpack-sized device or some combination of causes.

But victims and lawmakers are once again questioning what progress, if any, has been made to account for the pattern of unexplained neurological incidents.

U.S. officials have repeatedly said there is no evidence the Cuban government carried out attacks against U.S. personnel in Cuba. But victims’ attorneys and some lawmakers argue Cuban authorities could hold relevant surveillance or intelligence information regarding the  incidents in Havana.

“No one seriously believes the Cuban government was behind the AHI attacks on our diplomatic and intelligence personnel in 2016, but that doesn’t mean that rogue officials did not play a role and that they do not have valuable evidence of what did transpire,” said Mark S. Zaid, a lawyer who represents multiple affected personnel. “That it appears CIA Director John Ratcliff failed to raise the issue on his recent visit is an absolute betrayal of those who have been victimized and injured.”

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, also called for the Trump administration to increase its efforts.

“It’s imperative that we do everything we can to take care of those who served our country, and that includes the hundreds of diplomats, intelligence officers and military personnel who suffer from anomalous health incidents,” Shaheen told MS NOW.

Polymeropoulos expressed disappointment with Ratcliffe and Rubio for not pursuing the issue more aggressively. He said Rubio was more robust in his support for victims during his time as a senator.

“I’m incredibly disappointed that he has been silent so far as secretary of state and national security adviser,” said Polymeropoulos, who testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee when Rubio served on it. “At the end of it, he hugged me. His staff was integral in helping us.”

As a senator, Rubio long framed the incidents as potential targeted attacks and repeatedly pushed back against skepticism from parts of the scientific and intelligence communities. In 2018Rubio rejected suggestions that the cases could be due only to psychological causes, saying, “This is not simply a case of mass hysteria.”

More recently, Rubio has adopted a more nuanced position. He has continued to emphasize the uncertainty, saying, “There’s still much work to be done,” and he suggested in February 2025 that in some instances “the only logical explanation is that some external mechanism caused them to suffer brain injuries.” At the same time, Rubio has stressed that affected personnel should be treated as having experienced legitimate harm, even as agencies continue to lack a confirmed cause.

As part of the broader government response authorized by the HAVANA Act, the DOD established an internal Pentagon unit known as a cross-functional team, or CFTthat was tasked with coordinating the government’s approach to AHIs. The CFT’s role includes overseeing medical response and victim care coordination, supporting scientific and intelligence community research into potential causes and facilitating communication between defense, intelligence and civilian agencies involved in the investigation.

On Feb. 6, 2026, Shaheen and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, sent a letter to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to urge the Pentagon to pause a proposed restructuring and relocation of its CFT. In their letter, the senators warned the move could disrupt ongoing work to support victims and impede research into possible causes.

According to a Senate aide, concerns have intensified as the unit has undergone internal restructuring with little public explanation of what is driving the change.

The administration is seeking roughly $667 million in classified funding tied to CFT-related activities, along with $84 million in an unclassified line. That compares with roughly $24 million in fiscal 2025 — a jump that has prompted new questions on Capitol Hill about what programs, research efforts or operations the money is intended to support.

Last month lawmakers expected to get additional clarity on the government’s ongoing investigation during a classified congressional briefing.

The day before the briefing, Shaheen publicly pressed officials on whether Congress was still being denied key information and was told she would receive additional details during the session. Shaheen told MS NOW she needs additional information from the administration.

“I am committed to continuing to push the Administration to ensure the care of affected individuals,” she said. “As well as delivering much-needed transparency by focusing on conducting fulsome investigations into the source of these incidents, including possible malign actions from foreign adversaries.”

David Relman, a Stanford University professor of medicine and microbiology and immunology who has investigated the attacks, said he was skeptical that Cuban officials would provide significant information.

“I agree that Cuban Intelligence almost certainly knows much more than they have made public or previously shared with the U.S. But I also think it is unlikely that they will ever reveal closely held information on this matter,” Relman told MS NOW. “In fact, it was probably tightly compartmented even within leadership of the Cuban government. To reveal it now would severely and fundamentally jeopardize their relationship with Russia, which I doubt they are willing to do.”