House Democrats announced legislation Tuesday to block President Trump from carrying out more drug boat strikes in the Western Hemisphere, saying the White House has violated the War Powers Resolution by committing troops without authorization.
The top Democrats on the Intelligence, Homeland Security, Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees said Mr. Trump has mobilized 15,000 troops — which they said is an “invasion-level force” — for what the White House calls a counterdrug mission.
They said that’s so far out of proportion to the threat that it seems “far more reminiscent of preparations for war.”
“The War Powers Resolution we’ve introduced would halt the Trump administration’s unauthorized military actions,” the lawmakers said in a joint statement. “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?”
The War Powers Resolution governs how presidents can carry out military action without a firm authorization from Congress.
A resolution calling on the president to halt hostilities is given expedited consideration, meaning the House will eventually take a vote on the measure.
A similar resolution failed in the Senate this month on a 51-49 vote. Two Republicans — Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — sided with Democrats.
The administration has publicly reported more than 20 strikes in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean on vessels the government says are trafficking drugs. More than 80 crew have been reported killed in the bombings.
Members of both parties say the administration has not been forthcoming enough with information or a legal defense of the strikes, even as Mr. Trump ponders an escalation against Venezuela, which the U.S. has identified as the nexus of the drugs.
In each case, the administration publicly said American intelligence identified the vessel as a drug carrier.
The president this past weekend said he’d “sort of made up my mind” on whether to take direct action against Venezuela but declined to say what his decision would be.
On Sunday, the State Department designated Cartel de los Soles, a Venezuelan-based outfit, as a foreign terrorist organization.
It joins Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan international gang, along with El Salvador’s MS-13 and a number of Mexican smuggling cartels as FTOs.
House Democrats’ new resolution reads: “That, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1544(c)), Congress directs the President to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere, unless authorized by a declaration of war or a specific congressional authorization for use of military force against such presidentially designated terrorist organization.”
