Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn, introduced a new war powers resolution on Thursday seeking to stop the Trump administration from conducting future strikes in the Caribbean after the U.S. attacked a boat leaving Venezuela last week. Text of the first congressional resolution to address the strike was shared exclusively with The Intercept.
“There was no legal justification for the Trump Administration’s military escalation in the Caribbean,” Omar said in a statement to The Intercept. “It was not self-defense or authorized by Congress. That is why I am introducing a resolution to terminate hostilities against Venezuela, and against the transnational criminal organizations that the Administration has designated as terrorists this year. All of us should agree that the separation of powers is crucial to our democracy, and that only Congress has the power to declare war.”
Congress has the “sole power to declare war” as outlined in the Constitution, though U.S. presidents often bypass this authority when carrying out international attacks. Omar, deputy chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, unveiled the resolution with the backing of CPC leaders, including caucus Chair Greg Casar, D-Texas, and caucus whip Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García, D-Ill.
Casar said Trump’s strike was illegal.
“Donald Trump cannot be allowed to drag the United States into another endless war with his reckless actions,” Casar said. “It is illegal for the president to take the country to war without consulting the people’s representatives, and Congress must vote now to stop Trump from putting us at further risk.”
The Intercept first reported on Wednesday that U.S. forces struck the boat multiple times in order to kill survivors, according to two U.S. officials granted anonymity to discuss the attacks.
News of the strike on the boat, which President Donald Trump claimed was carrying drugs from Venezuela, has divided some Republicans. Sen. Rand Paul revealed to The Intercept on Wednesday that the attack was a drone strike. A current Pentagon official denounced the strike as an attack on civilians that violated international law.
While the president is commander in chief of the U.S. military, the Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war and authorize funding. The first war powers resolution of 1973 required the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying U.S. forces abroad. Although Congress has not officially declared war since World War II, U.S. presidents have long found ways to authorize military action around the globe without Congress’s explicit permission.
The new resolution states that Congress has not declared war or enacted an authorization for use of military force against Venezuela or any transnational criminal organizations designated as terrorists since February. The measure also directs Trump to end the use of U.S. armed forces against Venezuela or any transnational criminal groups designated as terrorists without authorization by Congress.
Members of Congress in both parties have expressed concerns about Trump’s overreach in the use of military force. House Republicans are planning to advance a measure to repeal the president’s power to authorize military operations in the Middle East, as Politico and other outlets reported Tuesday. In June, after Trump ordered bombings in Iran, Democrats tried to advance a new war powers resolution which did not succeed in blocking the president’s actions. Trump has also proposed to “take over” Gaza, which the United Nations has said would violate international law.
García, the CPC whip, said the strike further exacerbated problems in a part of the world deeply damaged by U.S. interventions throughout history.
“The extrajudicial strike against a vessel in the Caribbean Sea is only the most recent of Trump’s reckless, deadly, and illegal military actions. Now, he’s lawlessly threatening a region already profoundly impacted by the destabilization of U.S. actions,” said García. “With this War Powers Resolution, we emphasize the total illegality of his action, and — consistent with overwhelming public opposition to forever war — reclaim Congress’ sole power to authorize military action.”
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I’M BEN MUESSIG, The Intercept’s editor-in-chief. It’s been a devastating year for journalism — the worst in modern U.S. history.
We have a president with utter contempt for truth aggressively using the government’s full powers to dismantle the free press. Corporate news outlets have cowered, becoming accessories in Trump’s project to create a post-truth America. Right-wing billionaires have pounced, buying up media organizations and rebuilding the information environment to their liking.
In this most perilous moment for democracy, The Intercept is fighting back. But to do so effectively, we need to grow.
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