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Since September 2025, the administration has been blowing up boats in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, deliberately killing people outside of war, in an illegal use of military force. The administration has also threatened war with Venezuela and has continued a military buildup in the region.

Vote for S.J.Res. 98, the War Powers Resolution to end unlawful strikes at sea and prevent war with Venezuela.

The administration claims these actions will stop drug trafficking and protect Americans struggling with addiction. But these strikes will have no impact on the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States. This is a public health issue that requires a public health response. In a time when treatment programs are being cut, such actions in no way help to heal drug-addicted Americans. Drug trafficking is a crime, and those suspected of committing this offense should be prosecuted. The summary execution of a criminal suspect without charge or trial—whether on the high seas or inside the United States—is an extrajudicial killing and is prohibited by both U.S. statute and international law.

Congress should pass a War Powers Resolution to end the boat strikes and prevent war with Venezuela because:

  • We are not at war with drug cartels: Drug trafficking, while harmful, is not an “armed attack” that allows a lethal response and the United States is not at war with any Latin American drug cartel. The president cannot unilaterally make this determination.
  • Americans don’t want another war: More than 6 in 10 voters (62%) want the U.S. to be less involved in foreign conflicts. Americans have lived through the disastrous post-9/11 wars. They don’t want another forever war.
  • It’s Congress’s job to stop the unlawful use of military force: Article I of the Constitution gives Congress the sole authority to declare war. Section 5(c) of the 1973 War Powers Resolution provides a mechanism for Congress to end the unauthorized use of force. Congress must act as a check on the president’s unlawful military actions.

Contact: Heather Brandon-Smith, Foreign Policy Director, hbrandon-smith@fcnl.org