Today, Representative Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement regarding his votes in favor of two Democratic War Powers resolutions related to the Trump Administration’s lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean: 

"M. Speaker, prior to the Trump Administration, the United States followed a policy of interdiction to combat drug trafficking in the Caribbean. Over the past decade, that approach led to a steady decline in Venezuela’s role as a major drug transit route. It relied on stopping vessels, inspecting cargo, and arresting suspects where evidence existed. This Administration has shamefully abandoned that lawful and effective approach in favor of bombing boats and committing extrajudicial killings at sea. There is no operational reason for abandoning interdiction, which worked, respected the rule of law, and avoided the use of lethal force where arrest and prosecution were possible. 

"After decades of forever wars, the American people are sick and tired of being dragged into needless armed conflicts. Despite that, President Trump escalated his reckless campaign against Venezuela even further last night, pushing the nation closer to a war the American people do not want. 

"For weeks, the Administration has carried out lethal strikes on small boats in Venezuelan waters, killing dozens of people without any authorization from Congress. These killings occurred without due process and without any explanation for why the vessels could not have been stopped, inspected, and the individuals on board arrested and prosecuted. Most disturbing of all, the Administration carried out a so-called “double-tap” strike, deliberately targeting wounded survivors after an initial attack. That conduct is indefensible and inconsistent with the rule of law and the values the United States claims to uphold. 

"The President is also asking the American people to accept a justification that does not withstand scrutiny. The Administration claims these killings are about stopping drugs, but there is no credible evidence that Venezuela is a significant source of fentanyl entering the United States. The fentanyl crisis is driven overwhelmingly by synthetic opioids manufactured elsewhere and smuggled through established land routes, not by small boats off the Venezuelan coast. And Trump’s professed concern about drug trafficking rings hollow when he issued a pardon to the former president of Honduras after a U.S. jury convicted him of running a violent drug-trafficking conspiracy to move massive quantities of cocaine toward the United States. If Trump were serious about stopping drugs and not using counternarcotics as a pretext for military escalation and regime change, he would not be letting convicted traffickers walk free while eyeing Venezuela’s vast oil resources. 

"To this day, the Administration has not provided Congress with a public legal justification for these killings, nor has it explained the legal authority it claims to rely on. Congress and the American people deserve to see the legal rationale for the use of lethal force carried out in their name. 

"History teaches that unlawful uses of force cannot be excused by secrecy or by claims of simply following orders. Responsibility does not vanish up and down the chain of command when the law is violated. As international tribunals have long made clear, including at Nuremberg, individuals are responsible for war crimes and unlawful killings even when acting under superior orders. That principle must apply here as well. A future Administration committed to the rule of law will have a responsibility to investigate these actions fully and hold accountable those responsible for unlawful killings carried out in the name of the United States. 

"The Constitution is clear: the power to authorize war belongs to Congress, and Congress alone. No President gets a blank check to wage war by decree. That is why today, I proudly voted for two War Powers resolutions to block further escalation and reassert Congress’s constitutional authority. It is unfortunate that Democrats had to force these votes under the War Powers Resolution just to ensure Congress carries out its duties, despite Speaker Johnson’s best efforts to keep them off the House floor and avoid accountability. 

"The American people do not want another needless war, and I refuse to let our service members be put in harm’s way for an escalation that Congress never approved."

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