Question from the SCNG editorial board:
Does President Trump have the authority without congressional approval to carry out strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific? Do you think it’s just to kill alleged drug runners without a trial?
Jay Obernolte, R-23rd District
We decided to hold off. You can mark us down as no comment. Appreciate you reaching out to ask.
George Whitesides, D-27th District
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I take my oversight responsibility very seriously and will make a determination after receiving a full briefing on the details of the strikes.
Laura Friedman, D-30th District
Q: Do you think it’s just to kill alleged drug runners without a trial?
Smuggling drugs into the United States is a vile crime that has had massive impacts on our communities, but it is not punishable by death without trial. Additionally, in at least some cases survivors have been taken into custody and released to other nations rather than charged with crimes, which raises significant questions about the evidence that the Trump Administration has yet to share. This is unconstitutional and violates not just our principles but the laws of our nation.
Q: Does President Trump have the authority without congressional approval to carry out strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific?
No. For decades, under Democratic and Republican Administrations, the U.S. has safely intercepted drug boats in international waters with our Navy and Coast Guard, not airstrikes. Presidents absolutely must come to Congress for authorization to conduct military strikes that are not in response to an imminent threat.
Norma Torres, D-35th District
The president has no authority to launch military strikes without congressional approval in the Caribbean or Pacific under the clearly sham disguise of fighting drug trafficking. What we’re seeing is lawlessness. For decades, the U.S. has worked with regional partners to combat drug smuggling through cooperation, intelligence sharing, and development not military action. True leadership means working with our allies to dismantle criminal networks through lawful means, not taking reckless, ineffective actions that endanger lives and do little to stop drug shipments to the United States.
Ted Lieu, D-36th District
The Trump administration’s military strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs appear to violate the Law of Armed Conflict. However, because House Republicans are still on vacation in the middle of a government shutdown, we have had no oversight hearings or briefings and really have no frickin’ idea of important relevant details of these strikes to make a concrete determination of whether they are unlawful.
Mark Takano, D-39th District
Does President Trump have the authority without congressional approval to carry out strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and Pacific?
No. President Trump is carrying out an illegal war that Congress never authorized. If he wants to use military force, he must come before Congress and ask for a vote. Launching attacks without approval is a clear violation of the Constitution, a slap in the face to American servicemembers forced to take part in this reckless campaign, and an insult to the American people who do not want yet another endless war.
Do you think it’s just to kill alleged drug runners without a trial?
No. It is illegal and unconstitutional. If President Trump can order people killed on mere suspicion, without evidence or trial, then we have abandoned the rule of law altogether.
Young Kim, R-40th District
The president has authority to take limited actions to protect the national security of the United States. President Trump has rightfully designated certain drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, and his actions to secure our border have saved countless American lives.
The Constitution vests Congress with the sole power to declare war. When it comes to major military actions, Congress must be promptly briefed and consulted beforehand to ensure any actions are proportionate and lawful.
Ken Calvert, R-41st District
In the past five years, nearly half a million Americans have been killed by drugs imported into America by international drug cartels. That is why I support the administrations’ ongoing efforts to eliminate and reduce the cartels’ capability to force this deadly poison into our communities.
The cartels that traffic these drugs also have a history of kidnappings, assassinations, extortion and other violent activities leading to their designation as terrorist organizations by the U.S. Department of State.
In compliance with requirements put in place by the National Defense Authorization Act, the Trump administration has provided official notifications to Congress about the strikes associated with the ongoing non-international armed conflict in the south Caribbean Sea.
Derek Tran, D-45th District
As a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I take my oversight responsibilities of U.S. military activity seriously. I will continue to review relevant intelligence and perform my duty as a congressman to check and balance the administration
Dave Min, D-47th District
No. The Constitution makes clear that only Congress has the power to declare war. While Congress has given the president limited authority to use military force under certain exceptional circumstances, it is clear that none of those apply here. Once again, Donald Trump is violating the law to try to look like he’s tough on crime. But as we have seen over and over with this administration, we cannot simply trust them when they claim someone is a criminal or a drug smuggler. That is precisely why we require the government to prove its claims in court before punishing someone.”
