Trump Claims Authority to Strike Suspected Cartels, Possibly Without Congressional Approval
WASHINGTON – Former President Donald Trump asserted he could authorize military action against suspected drug cartels operating in countries like Venezuela without a formal declaration of war from Congress. The remarks, made recently, signal a potential escalation of U.S. counter-narcotics efforts and raise questions about the limits of executive power.
Trump indicated his management would target cartel members on foreign soil, expanding current operations that focus on intercepting drug shipments in international waters.He stated he would notify Congress before initiating any “ground” operations but expressed confidence lawmakers wouldn’t object. “We’re going to go. I don’t see any loss in going” to Congress, Trump said. “We’re going to tell you what we’re going to do and I think you’ll probably like it, except for the lunatics on the radical left.”
The proclamation follows recent, and controversial, U.S. military actions against vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. Some lawmakers have expressed concern over the lack of publicly available evidence supporting the government’s claims that the targeted boats were crewed by “narcoterrorists.”
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth defended the operations, stating the Armed Forces have verified that each vessel attacked was involved in drug trafficking. He also justified the return of survivors from a recent attack as “standard” practice, drawing parallels to U.S. military procedures in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Compared to Iraq and Afghanistan,the vast majority of people we capture on the battlefield we hand over to the country of origin,” he explained. “So in this case, those two were treated by American doctors and instantly returned to their home countries.”
The debate over the legality and scope of such operations underscores a long-standing tension between the executive and legislative branches regarding war powers, as defined by the U.S. Constitution. While presidents traditionally have broad authority in foreign affairs, Congress holds the power to declare war. This latest growth could prompt renewed scrutiny of those boundaries.
