Two Republicans Vote To Block Trump Striking Narco Boats
Two Republican senators crossed party lines Wednesday night in an unsuccessful attempt to stop President Donald Trump from launching military strikes against suspected drug smuggling ships in the Caribbean.
THE resolutionsponsored by several Democratic senators and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul, would have restricted Trump’s authority in conducting such strikes, citing Congress’ sole power to declare war, and accused the Trump administration of failing to justify military attacks against drug cartels. The defeat of the bipartisan measure comes as the vast majority of Americans say they support Trump’s decision to blow up ships carrying drugs into the United States. (Americans overwhelmingly support Trump admin who blows drug boats out of water: POLL)
Paul and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted to restrict Trump’s use of military force to combat drug trafficking into the United States. Pennsylvania Democratic Sen. John Fetterman joined the majority of Republicans in opposing the resolution.
The Trump administration has designated several drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations and has begun engaging in armed conflict against traffickers attempting to smuggle drugs into the country.
Trump has launched four military strikes against ships of the Venezuelan drug cartel Tren de Aragua near Venezuela in the past month. These strikes killed at least 21 people.
These strikes are among Trump’s most popular policies with 71% of Americans in favor of destroying drug boats, according to to a September Harvard CAPS/Harris poll.
The White House on Wednesday urged Republicans to reject the war powers resolution, arguing that military strikes are within Trump’s executive authority. It’s unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson would allow a similar resolution to pass in his chamber. Trump would almost certainly veto the measure if it were approved by the House.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters at the Capitol on Wednesday that Trump had the authority to unilaterally order the strikes because “these are targeted strikes against imminent threats to the United States.”
“This resolution seeks to strip President Trump of his constitutional authority to protect Americans by authorizing military strikes against narcoterrorists, Houthis and other Iranian proxies,” Rubio said. said on Wednesday X. “It’s dangerous – it endangers our children, our citizens, our soldiers and our allies.”
“The Mexican and Venezuelan drug cartels have killed more Americans than any foreign enemy, yet Democrats are proposing a resolution that would allow deadly drugs to continue flowing into our country,” said South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott. said on Wednesday X. “As commander in chief, @POTUS legally protects our homeland and stops narcoterrorists who threaten our security. His leadership is saving American lives.
WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 8: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks to the media as he leaves a meeting with Senate Republicans at the U.S. Capitol October 8, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Still, two Republicans resisted the president who wanted to limit his ability to target drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean.
“Coast Guard statistics show that 25 percent of the time when they inspect a boat suspected of drugs, there are no drugs, which concerns me,” Sen. Paul told reporters Wednesday. “If 25% of the time when they board a ship there are no drugs, what about the ones that explode without being boarded?
“Is it too much to ask to know the names of those we kill before we kill them? Paul later asked in the Senate. “To find out what evidence there is of their guilt? »
“JD ‘I don’t care’. Vance says killing people he accuses of a crime is “the highest and best use of the military.” Has he ever read To Kill a Mockingbird? Paul asked X following the first strike in September. “Has anyone ever wondered what might happen if the accused were immediately executed without trial or representation?? What a despicable and thoughtless sentiment it is to glorify the murder of someone without a trial.”
Paul’s Republican colleague, Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio, accused Paul of prioritizing “foreign terrorist drug traffickers” over the interests of Americans who have suffered from an influx of fentanyl into the country.
“JD understands that our first responsibility is to protect the lives and liberty of American citizens,” Moreno said.
The vast majority of Democratic senators called the strikes unconstitutional and illegal.
“At the end of the day, we have to be extremely careful that no president, not Trump or anyone else, has the unilateral authority to drag this country into war and start killing people without any congressional authority,” independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a co-sponsor of the bill, told reporters Wednesday. “This is unconstitutional and very concerning.”
“If a president can unilaterally list people or groups and kill them, there is no meaningful limit on his use of force,” California Democratic Sen. Adam Schiff said. wrote Wednesday X.
The resolution points out that Congress “has not received sufficient information” regarding the strikes, claiming ignorance “of the passengers, cargo or affiliation of the vessels, the intended destinations of the vessels; [and] any threat the ships posed to U.S. interests.
Andi Shae Napier contributed to this report.
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