Washington, DC -- Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence; Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.), Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security Committee; Jason Crow (D-Colo.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations; and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) introduced a War Powers Resolution to block the Trump Administration from continuing to use U.S. Armed Forces to conduct strikes in the Caribbean and the eastern Pacific, operations the administration has carried out for more than 60 days without congressional authorization.
“The Trump Administration has not provided a credible rationale for its 21 unauthorized military strikes on vessels in the Western Hemisphere, which have resulted in the extrajudicial killings of dozens of individuals. Nor has this administration explained why it has deployed an invasion-level force of roughly 15,000 troops, a carrier strike group, and military aircraft for a mission it claims is about counter-narcotics. This posture is wildly disproportionate to the stated objective and far more reminiscent of preparations for war.
“The administration has also failed to justify why these boats could not have been interdicted and their crews questioned for information and brought to justice, or why they posed an imminent threat to the United States. If these operations are truly intended to prevent illicit drugs from reaching the United States, then the administration must explain why this is not a mission for the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies, who the Congress has authorized to intercept suspicious vessels and to prosecute criminal suspects. The Congress has not authorized the use of military force.
“The Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war; without Congressional approval, the president is not only circumventing the legislative branch, but grossly expanding his power to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
“The War Powers Resolution we’ve introduced would halt the Trump Administration’s unauthorized military actions. It’s time for every Member of the House of Representatives to go on record: do they support President Trump’s executive overreach, or do they stand with the Constitution?”
A PDF copy of the resolution can be found here.
“The Trump Administration has not provided a credible rationale for its 21 unauthorized military strikes on vessels in the Western Hemisphere, which have resulted in the extrajudicial killings of dozens of individuals. Nor has this administration explained why it has deployed an invasion-level force of roughly 15,000 troops, a carrier strike group, and military aircraft for a mission it claims is about counter-narcotics. This posture is wildly disproportionate to the stated objective and far more reminiscent of preparations for war.
“The administration has also failed to justify why these boats could not have been interdicted and their crews questioned for information and brought to justice, or why they posed an imminent threat to the United States. If these operations are truly intended to prevent illicit drugs from reaching the United States, then the administration must explain why this is not a mission for the U.S. Coast Guard and other law enforcement agencies, who the Congress has authorized to intercept suspicious vessels and to prosecute criminal suspects. The Congress has not authorized the use of military force.
“The Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the power to declare war; without Congressional approval, the president is not only circumventing the legislative branch, but grossly expanding his power to act as judge, jury, and executioner.
“The War Powers Resolution we’ve introduced would halt the Trump Administration’s unauthorized military actions. It’s time for every Member of the House of Representatives to go on record: do they support President Trump’s executive overreach, or do they stand with the Constitution?”
A PDF copy of the resolution can be found here.