Duckworth: Trump’s Unauthorized Boat Strikes in Southern Hemisphere are Un-American, Unconstitutional and Dangerous

November 06, 2025

Duckworth: Trump's Unauthorized Boat Strikes in Southern Hemisphere are Un-American, Unconstitutional and Dangerous

[WASHINGTON, D.C.] - Combat Veteran and U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) took to the Senate floor today to excoriate Donald Trump's unlawful, unauthorized military strikes on boats in the Southern Hemisphere and to vote in favor of U.S. Senator Tim Kaine's (D-VA) resolution to block the Trump Administration from continuing to illegally use military force within or against Venezuela. The Senator admonished the President for launching this military campaign without the required Congressional approval, further endangering our servicemembers and our country in the process. Video of Duckworth's full remarks can be found on the Senator's YouTube, Twitter/X and Facebook.

Key quotes:

• "I come here this afternoon, battle wounds and all, not because I'm scared of war. I'm not. These titanium legs don't buckle. What I am scared of, however, is the United States stumbling into an armed conflict because a five-time draft dodger is using our military to pretend to be a tough guy. What I am troubled by is that a man who was never brave enough to serve in uniform himself seems to care more about thumping his chest than keeping our troops out of danger. What I am worried about is that Donald Trump's obsession with making America great again is making Americans less safe again."

• "Look, I first ran for Congress so that when the drums of war started beating, I'd be in a position to make sure that our nation's leaders fully consider the true costs of war-not just in dollars and cents, but in the sacrifices of our heroes and their families. Now, with those drums beginning to echo once more, I'm here today to keep my promise. Because infuriatingly…Trump has already started a conflict and now seems intent on expanding it. He's already threatened land strikes against Venezuela-with seemingly no concern over the fact that only Congress, not the President, has the authority to declare war. We are the ones tasked with deciding when and how we send our troops into combat. We are the ones the Constitution charged with that most solemn duty. And today, we are the ones who must be the adults in the room, because Trump is yet again acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum on a playground-acting as if obeying the law is optional and as if the Constitution is nothing but a yellowing piece of paper he can rip up at will."

• "This shouldn't be a partisan issue. No matter if you're a factory worker pulling double-shifts or the President of the United States, no one is above the law. No matter if you're struggling to pay rent or your name is plastered in gold on the front of a building on Fifth Avenue, no one can overrule the Constitution. Listen, if the Trump Administration actually believes there is an ongoing credible threat of armed conflict, then they must bring their case to Congress and give the American people a say through their elected representatives. They must respect our servicemembers enough to prove why war is worth turning more moms and dads into Gold Star parents."

Duckworth's opening remarks as prepared below:

You know, next week marks the anniversary of my Alive Day:

The last day I ever woke up, laced up my boots and climbed into my Blackhawk...

The day when an RPG shot my helicopter out of the Iraqi sky.

The day I could've died… the day I probably should've died… but didn't… thanks to the courage of my buddies who risked their lives to save my own.

So I come here this afternoon, battle wounds and all, not because I'm scared of war.

I'm not. These titanium legs don't buckle.

What I am scared of, however, is the United States stumbling into an armed conflict because a five-time draft dodger is using our military to pretend to be a tough guy.

What I am troubled by is that a man who was never brave enough to serve in uniform himself seems to care more about thumping his chest than keeping our troops out of danger.

What I am worried about is that Donald Trump's obsession with making America great again is making Americans less safe again.

Two months ago, without even seeking Congressional approval, the Trump Administration began carrying out airstrikes against boats in international waters near Venezuela, claiming he was targeting fentanyl traffickers and drug cartels.

Since then, dozens of people have been killed in these strikes.

None of these killings are justified in any way.

What he is doing is un-American, unconstitutional and dangerous:

Dangerous for our servicemembers, who he's placing at greater risk of retaliation…

Dangerous for Americans, who should be afraid that Trump is using military might to kill people, without due process or proper evidence…

And dangerous for our democracy if we keep speeding down this path.

Bringing the force of the U.S. military down on drug traffickers is both ineffective and unwise-as drug trafficking is fundamentally a law enforcement matter, not a military one.

This is yet another instance of Donald Trump wildly abusing our military, trying to blur the line between our servicemembers and law enforcement…

We saw it when he sent the National Guard to intimidate peaceful protesters in LA…

Or when he similarly threatened Chicago and Portland, before he was stopped by the courts.

We've even seen it in the city where I'm speaking today, when he forced troops to carry around the quiet streets of our nation's capital.

Now, we're witnessing it stretch from DC to the Caribbean Sea, as Trump has once again unilaterally-and unconstitutionally-used our troops however he sees fit, rule of law be damned.

To put what he's done another way:

The President has ordered repeated military strikes against civilians that we are not in armed conflict with and that did not present any imminent threat of an armed attack against our nation.

And he has claimed that such military action is justified because he himself, in his ultimate wisdom, has deemed these civilians "criminals."

Which leaves us to ask: What's to stop him from arguing that anyone he dislikes deserves the same treatment? What's to stop him from naming any of his enemies a terrorist, then unilaterally deciding to use the military to hunt them down, without Congressional consent?

To be clear: I will never, ever support trafficking illegal drugs into this country. Obviously.

But that isn't why we're here today.

Why I'm here is to sound the alarm on the incredibly slippery slope that Donald Trump has set us careening down.

Even if the Administration can actually give us proof that those killed onboard were criminals…well, then they should have been apprehended by law enforcement and tried in the judicial system.

That's how "law and order" works.

But Trump doesn't seem to care.

In his world, he is the judge, jury and executioner…

In his mind, the justice system can be discarded at will…

The military is his plaything, with fewer and fewer guardrails to keep the rest of us safe.

He believes there are no checks on his power. No checks at all, other than the ones going into the pockets of his rich friends.

The United States exists today because a few brave patriots saw a tyrant who cared more about the gold in his coffers than the people in his colonies, then decided to form a more perfect union where enforceable guardrails would check executive greed.

They pushed those chests of tea into Boston Harbor…

They fought a revolution…

They did the hard, messy work of forging a democracy…

All because they knew that a man who believes he wields all the power but fears no consequences is a danger to those who fall under his rule.

And while Donald Trump may be a wannabe king rather than a monarch by blood or title what was true then is true now.

He doesn't seem to care that his strikes are clearly escalatory actions that will only harden our enemies, put our troops in greater danger and our families at greater risk of retaliation.

He doesn't care that this campaign is draining military resources, hurting its readiness and wasting untold sums of taxpayer money.

He probably isn't even aware of the second and third-order security consequences of his decisions…

Probably doesn't even know that already, because of his decisions, a Marine Expeditionary Unit has been forced to relocate to SOUTHCOM…

Leaving our troops in Europe and the Middle East without the emergency support they rely on in worst-case scenario moments.

He just wants to look strong. And he doesn't care that in the process, he's making our nation weaker.

Look, I first ran for Congress so that when the drums of war started beating, I'd be in a position to make sure that our nation's leaders fully consider the true costs of war-not just in dollars and cents, but in the sacrifices of our heroes and their families.

Now, with those drums beginning to echo once more, I'm here today to keep my promise.

Because sadly…worryingly…infuriatingly…Trump has already started a conflict and now seems intent on expanding it.

He's already threatened land strikes against Venezuela-with seemingly no concern over the fact that only Congress, not the President, has the authority to declare war.

We are the ones tasked with deciding when and how we send our troops into combat.

We are the ones the Constitution charged with that most solemn duty.

And today, we are the ones who must be the adults in the room, because Trump is yet again acting like a toddler throwing a tantrum on a playground…

Acting as if obeying the law is optional…

Acting as if the Constitution is nothing but a yellowing piece of paper he can rip up at will.

Those are just some of the many, many reasons why today, I'm voting YES on the resolution to block the Administration from continuing to illegally use military force within or against Venezuela.

This shouldn't be a partisan issue.

No matter if you're a factory worker pulling double-shifts or the President of the United States, no one is above the law.

No matter if you're struggling to pay rent or your name is plastered in gold on the front of a building on Fifth Avenue, no one can overrule the Constitution.

Listen, if the Trump Administration actually believes there is an ongoing credible threat of armed conflict, then they must bring their case to Congress and give the American people a say through their elected representatives.

They must respect our servicemembers enough to prove why war is worth turning more moms and dads into Gold Star parents.

And they must testify about what the end-state of these military operations would actually look like.

Then, when their case has been made, when Congress' debate is done, we should vote.

It's our duty.

It's the least we owe to the warriors who deserve to know why we're putting them in harm's way.

You know, on Veterans Day, I'm sure we'll see Donald Trump wrap himself in the flag in the morning. But you can be sure that he'll have found a way to abandon our troops again by the afternoon.

Because Trump has made a habit of giving our troops the middle finger.

Well, I'm sure as hell not gonna let him get away with that.

So as many times as is necessary, I'm gonna keep coming back to this chamber… keep raising my voice… and keep demanding what's actually in our nation's best interest.

Because I don't make decisions of war and peace based on how tough I wanna look on Truth Social.

And as I celebrate my Alive Day next week, I'm gonna do my damnedest to make sure other troops get to come home to their families, too.

It's just one small way I can honor those buddies who saved my life… every other Veteran… and all those still in uniform today.

If only this five-time draft dodger hadn't cried "bone spurs" when his nation needed him the most, then maybe he'd understand the first thing about what it means to actually honor those who serve.

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