‘Kill drug dealers’: GOP backs Trump strikes as Democrats warn of war crimes

Amid growing focus on the Trump administration’s use of force to target suspected cartel members in the Caribbean, lawmakers on Capitol Hill were asked whether they thought victimized U.S. citizens or drug traffickers were more important.

Republicans, like Sen. Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., said the answer is simple.

“I can’t speak for anyone else, but my main concern is American citizens, their lives, their health. So, for me, it’s an easy choice. Kill the drug dealers, save the Americans,” Sheehy said.

Democrats, on the other hand, had less strong opinions on the strikes.

“Look, I fully support that we do everything we can within legal means to make sure that we stop the drug trade,” said Rep. Johnny Olszewski, Democrat of Maryland, adding, “We absolutely should be concerned about the victims of the drug trade and the people who have lost their lives to drug-related violence.”

SENATE REPUBLICS BLOCK BIPARTISAN EFFORTS TO STOP MILITARY ACTION AND DRUG STRIKES IN THE CARIBBEAN

The United States killed six suspected drug traffickers on a boat in international waters near Venezuela, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday, October 14, 2025. (real DonaldTrump/Truth Social)

“We support all efforts aimed at [interdict]arrest and hold accountable those who attempt to smuggle drugs into this country. However, we have the rule of law and we have rules of engagement for good reason. So we need to make sure we have full transparency on how these strikes are happening,” Olszewski continued.

He added that “if the reports are true, it is very likely” that the administration’s drug boat strikes are “in violation of our laws and may in fact constitute a war crime.”

“So it deserves a thorough investigation; it deserves the details to be released. And you know, again, I fully support doing anything we can to stop drug trafficking, but that means we have to make sure that we do it within the rule of law and the rules that are in place in this country.”

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., pushed back on the question, asking, “Is this going to do anything to actually help them?”

“Cocaine is still circulating, the demand is still there,” Smith said, adding, “You see a drug dealer on the street, he’s a bad person.” This person sells drugs. Let’s say she sells real fentanyl, not the cocaine we sell here. because ?”

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Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., leaves the U.S. Capitol after the final votes of the week, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

“Don’t give me that bullshit and say it proves you don’t care [selling drugs]” he said. “I care about selling drugs. I don’t want a fascist regime that decides who it can kill whenever it wants, with no control over that power. It just doesn’t make sense in the United States of America, or at least not in the United States of America that I wish we had. »

Meanwhile, Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., responded: “We must do our best to disrupt drug distribution. We also need to invest in health care and drug education, et cetera. We have to do everything. The real question is: how to do it right?

Pressed on whether the government should prioritize drug victims over traffickers, Reed responded, “I commented and thanks for asking,” before walking away.

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Rep. Glenn Grothman, R-Wisc., during a House Oversight and Accountability Committee hearing at the Capitol in Washington, Monday, July 22, 2024. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)

Rep. Lou Correa, Democrat of California, simply responded, “Congress must do its job: supervise” and walked away.

The Republicans, for their part, reacted in a much more unilateral manner.

“If it disrupts the flow of a drug coming into West Virginia, I’m all for it,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va.

“I come from a state that has historically had huge drug problems. A lot of deaths from fentanyl, from overdoses,” Capito said. “So I support anything the president can do to stop the flow of fentanyl. And [with] “The narcoterrorism, the intelligence around these strikes, from what I understand, is pretty solid.”

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“For too long, politicians have been content to watch a hundred thousand Americans die every year from drug overdoses. Finally, President Trump took over and said, ‘No more,'” said Rep. Glenn Grothman.

“If you want to attack our country, and these people know very well that Americans are dying because of what they’re doing. If you want to attack our country, we’re going to fight back, it’s time,” Grothman added.