Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C., voiced support Tuesday on Newsmax for President Donald Trump's decision to authorize strikes against suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, praising the administration's actions and blasting Democrats who have criticized the operations.
On "Rob Schmitt Tonight," Budd said that the strikes, announced by the Department of War, were a necessary response to the fentanyl crisis and dismissed objections from Democrats in Congress, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
"Are they now the pro-drug boat party? The pro-cartel party? I don't get this," Budd said, reacting to Schumer's demand that senators view unedited video footage of a controversial Sept. 2 strike in which two survivors of the initial strike were killed by a second strike.
"When you look in the eyes of a mom whose kid isn't coming home because they thought they were taking an Adderall and it was laced with fentanyl, and that child died," Budd said. "There are thousands and thousands of cases like that; 105,000 cases a year across our country, especially young men between 18 and age 40.
"And they're gone. They're not coming home.
"They've been buried, and families are still grieving them.
"Where was Chuck Schumer on that? But now, he's defending these folks that were in drug boats.
"So, it doesn't make any sense."
The Department of War announced Monday that U.S. forces struck three suspected Venezuelan drug boats, killing at least eight people. The operations are part of a broader Trump administration effort to disrupt maritime drug routes in the Caribbean, which officials said are used to funnel illicit substances into the United States.
Budd, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he attended a classified briefing earlier Tuesday that reinforced his confidence in the administration's actions.
"President Trump was right," Budd said. "There are lawyers in the room.
"There are chains of command. These are evaluated.
"There are decision trees. And I'm even more convinced, after seeing the briefing today, how much we were in the right on this and how this should have started a long time ago."
Budd contrasted Trump's approach with that of former President Joe Biden, accusing the prior administration of failing to confront drug cartels aggressively.
"President Biden didn't have the guts to stand up to these cartels," he said.
Budd also addressed claims that the strikes are aimed more at pressuring Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro than stopping drug trafficking. He said the two issues are intertwined, citing broader national security concerns in the region.
"It's not just drugs that are coming from Venezuela and Colombia," Budd said. "You've also got Iran acting there.
"You've got Russia acting there. You've got China.
"And that is right in our backyard at the tip of the Caribbean."
Budd said Trump's strategy of applying sustained pressure, rather than rushing into action, is the correct approach.
"We don't want to have a situation like [the Cuban missile crisis] happen again because we weren't paying attention," he said. "So, I'm grateful for what President Trump is doing."
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