Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., are urging a Senate vote on a war powers resolution blocking President Donald Trump's expanded U.S. military strikes on drug traffickers in international waters.
The chances of such a resolution passing could be slim given that Republicans control both chambers of Congress. But Schiff and Kaine argue that the White House has not provided evidence to justify the attacks, which they say are illegal and unconstitutional.
Punchbowl News reported the Senate could vote on the resolution as soon as Wednesday. The measure would bar U.S. forces from "engaging in hostilities against nonstate organizations until formally authorized by Congress."
"Congress alone holds the power to declare war," Schiff said last month in a news release. "And while we share with the executive branch the imperative of preventing and deterring drugs from reaching our shores, blowing up boats without any legal justification risks dragging the United States into another war and provoking unjustified hostilities against our own citizens.
"Congress must be fully briefed on these operations and if the administration believes there is a case to make for a war authorization — it should make it. But this unauthorized and illegal use of our military must stop."
The White House said the U.S. military has carried out four strikes in the Caribbean Sea against boats the administration said were run by drug cartels, killing 21 people, according to The Hill.
"President Trump has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere," Kaine said in the release. "The administration has refused to provide Congress with basic information about the multiple strikes it has carried out, including who was killed, why it was necessary to put servicemembers' lives at risk, and why a standard interdiction operation wasn't conducted.
"Congress simply cannot let itself be stiff-armed as this administration continues to flout the law. That's why we're introducing this legislation to require a debate and vote on whether the U.S. should be conducting these strikes without congressional approval."
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said the latest strike, which was carried out Friday, was against a vessel affiliated with a designated terrorist organization in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility.
He said no U.S. military personnel were hurt, and the strike took place in international waters.
"Our intelligence, without a doubt, confirmed that this vessel was trafficking narcotics, the people onboard were narco-terrorists, and they were operating on a known narco-trafficking transit route," Hegseth wrote on X. "These strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over."
Trump last week declared that drug cartels are unlawful combatants and said the U.S. is now in an "armed conflict" with them.
"In recent weeks, the Navy has supported our mission to blow the cartel terrorists out of the water. Did you see that?" he told service members Sunday at Naval Station Norfolk in Virginia.
"There are no boats in the water anymore. Cannot find any. We are having a hard time finding them. But you know, it is a pretty tough thing we have been doing but you have to think of it this way. Every one of those boats is responsible for the death of 25,000 American people and the destruction of families.
"When you think of it that way, what we are doing is actually an act of kindness. We did another one last night.
"Now, we just cannot find any. It is the old story. We are so good at it, there are no boats. Even fishing boats, no one wants to go into the water anymore. Sorry to tell you that. We are stopping drugs coming into America."
Newsmax has reached out to the White House for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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