WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate was voting Wednesday on a bill aimed at keeping the president in check. donald trump’s The ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels, as Democrats and at least one Republican sought to challenge the administration. President’s extraordinary assertion of war powers Destroy ships in the Caribbean.
According to the White House, this was the first vote in Congress on President Trump’s military operations. Destroyed 4 ships It killed at least 21 people in the Caribbean and stopped drugs from entering the United States. The War Powers Resolution would require the president to seek approval from Congress before any further military strikes against cartels.
The Trump administration claims that drug trafficker They are armed combatants who threaten the United States, creating a justification for the use of force. But this claim is met with some trepidation on Capitol Hill.
Some Republicans have called for further explanation from the White House about the legal legitimacy of the attack and the specific method of the attack, while Democrats say the attack is a violation of U.S. and international law. The clash could redefine how the world’s most powerful military uses lethal force and set the tone for future global conflicts.
The White House had already indicated that Trump would veto the bill, and Wednesday’s Senate vote was not expected to succeed, but it did give lawmakers an opportunity to put on record their opposition to Trump’s declaration that the United States is in an “armed conflict” with drug cartels.
“If a significant number of members say, ‘Hey, this is a bad idea,’ this sends a message,” said Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who pushed the resolution with Sen. Adam Schiff, D-California.
What is the War Powers Resolution?
Wednesday’s vote was based on the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which sought to reaffirm Congress’ authority to declare war. The bill would prohibit the Trump administration from conducting military attacks on ships in the Caribbean unless specifically authorized by Congress.
Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long advocated for greater Congressional powers over war powers, was the only Republican to support the bill ahead of the vote, but Schiff and Kaine said other lawmakers had expressed interest. Many Republican senators questioned the attacks on the ships, saying they did not receive enough information from the administration.
“Congress must not allow the executive branch to be judge, jury, and executioner,” Paul said in a floor speech.
Sen. Kevin Cramer, R-North Dakota, acknowledged at the Republican conference that “there may be concerns” about the strike. But Republican leaders vehemently opposed the resolution on the Senate floor Wednesday, calling it a political ploy by Democrats.
“People were attacking our country by bringing toxic substances into our country that could kill Americans,” said Sen. Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “Fortunately, most of those drugs are now at the bottom of the ocean.”
Risch thanked President Trump for his actions and added that he hoped the military offensive would continue.
What did the administration tell Congress about the strike?
Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee were briefed last week on the airstrike, and Cramer said he was “at least satisfied with the soundness of their legal arguments.” However, he added that no representatives of the intelligence community or the military chain of command in Latin America attended the briefing.
“I would feel more comfortable defending the government if it shared information,” he said.
Kane also said the briefing did not go into details about why the military chose to destroy the vessel rather than interdict it, or how the military was so confident the vessel was carrying drugs.
“Maybe they were engaged in human trafficking or maybe it was the wrong ship,” Schiff said. “We have little to no information about who was on board these ships, what information was used, what was the basis for this, and how confident we are that everyone on board deserved to die.”
Democrats also said the administration would add cartels to the list of organizations considered “narco-terrorists” that could be targeted by military strikes, but did not provide lawmakers with a complete list.
“The gradual erosion of Congressional oversight is not an abstract discussion of process,” Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a floor speech. “This is a real and present threat to our democracy.”
Mr. Rubio’s visit
secretary of state marco rubio He visited the Republican convention for lunch Wednesday and urged senators to vote against the bill. According to Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota, he told senators that the administration is treating cartels like government agencies because they control large parts of some Caribbean countries.
“These drug trafficking organizations pose a direct threat to the safety and security of the United States, fueling drugs and drug profits to unleash violence and crime on our streets,” Rubio told reporters at the Capitol. “And the president is the commander in chief and has a duty to keep our country safe.”
Still, Democrats argued that the recent buildup of U.S. naval forces in the Caribbean represents a shift in U.S. priorities and tactics that could have significant consequences. They feared that further military attacks could spark conflict with Venezuela, and argued that Congress should actively deliberate whenever U.S. troops are sent to war.
“This is the kind of thing that unexpectedly and unintentionally leads a country to war,” Schiff said.
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Associated Press writer Lisa Mascaro contributed.
