Matthew Lee and Aamer Madhani| Associated Press

The government turned down the request as the U.S. State Department has been weighing a reduction in staffing at the embassy in the Cuban capital of Havana because of the lack of diesel.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has used public comments and private briefings to lawmakers to tone down bombastic remarks from the president and other top officials even as he offers a full-throated defense of Trump’s more audacious plans.