Senate Democrats are moving to rein in President Donald Trump’s military campaign off the coast of Venezuela, warning that the operations risk entangling the United States in unauthorized conflict.
Late last week, California’s Adam Schiff and Virginia’s Tim Kaine introduced legislation aimed at curbing the president’s authority to launch strikes without explicit congressional approval. Their proposal demands an immediate halt to ongoing operations in the Caribbean that lack formal authorization. The move follows two targeted attacks earlier this month that left 14 people dead aboard Venezuelan vessels.
Administration officials have defended the strikes as essential to disrupting narcotics routes tied to Venezuela and linked to the U.S. fentanyl crisis. But legal scholars and lawmakers have questioned both the constitutional footing and the broader rationale, arguing the White House has offered little justification for deploying lethal force in contested waters.
Schiff, in public remarks, drew a sharp line: “While we share with the executive branch the imperative of preventing and deterring drugs from reaching our shores, blowing up boats without any legal justification risks dragging the United States into another war and provoking unjustified hostilities against our own citizens.” He added bluntly: “This unauthorized and illegal use of our military must stop.”
Kaine, who has long pushed for restoring congressional oversight in matters of war, echoed that warning. “President Trump has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere,” he declared, criticizing the administration’s refusal to disclose “fundamental details, such as the rationale for endangering service members in these engagements.”
Lawmakers have voiced frustration with the administration’s limited transparency. A secure Pentagon briefing for the House Armed Services Committee earlier this week left members, especially Democrats, demanding answers on why lethal strikes were chosen over conventional interdiction tactics.
The Coast Guard recently seized over 5,000 pounds of drugs in Operation Pacific Viper.
FIRST ON FOX: Coast Guard seizes over 5K lbs of cocaine and apprehends nearly 60 suspected narco-terrorists as part of its Operation Pacific Viper. pic.twitter.com/MVYFYQYkUe
— Fox News (@FoxNews) September 18, 2025
The Schiff-Kaine measure carves out exceptions for cases of direct self-defense, such as repelling or preventing an imminent attack. It preserves support for standard anti-trafficking missions but makes clear that transporting illicit substances alone does not constitute a national security threat warranting military escalation.
The legislative push lands amid reported deliberations inside the administration over granting broader authority to use force against drug-linked actors across the hemisphere.
