Washington, D.C. – 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.) issued a statement following the vote on their War Powers Resolution to end the Trump administration’s military strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific:   

“The Trump Administration’s ongoing lethal U.S. military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Western Hemisphere are legally questionable, and ineffective. Under existing U.S. law, these vessels could have been interdicted and their occupants subjected to judicial process. Instead of pursuing prosecutions, this administration has deliberately avoided judicial scrutiny by conducting lethal strikes, repatriating survivors, and in at least one instance, carrying out a second strike on defenseless persons.

“The president has failed to demonstrate the necessary authority under U.S. or international law to conduct lethal military strikes on these boats. No one can credibly claim that these vessels, in some cases not even traveling to the United States and located thousands of miles from U.S. soil, posed an imminent threat to the American people warranting the use of military force. Our War Powers Resolution sought to terminate these extrajudicial strikes, yet most Republicans chose loyalty to Donald Trump over their oath to the Constitution. By not reining in Trump’s gross abuse of power, they are sending a dangerous signal that any president can unilaterally commit U.S. armed forces to hostilities without Congressional authorization. We hope our Republican colleagues find their courage in the face of President Trump’s threats to expand this military operation into Venezuela. Should he be allowed to do so, he will no doubt provoke another forever war that the American people do not support and Congress has certainly not authorized.” 

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