Castro, Jacobs, Stanton Introduce No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act

Castro, Jacobs, Stanton Introduce No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, Congresswoman Sara Jacobs (CA-51), and Congressman Greg Stanton (AZ-04) introduced the No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act, legislation that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used for an unauthorized war in Mexico.

The introduction comes after the U.S. conducted several strikes off the coast of Mexico, and President Trump shared on Fox News that the U.S. is "going to start now hitting land, with regards to the cartels" in Mexico.

"Launching the United States into another unnecessary-and unauthorized-war in Latin America is a destabilizing move that will come back to haunt the nation. My constituents in San Antonio don't want the U.S. to spend billions in another war that risks destabilizing the region, mass migration, and human rights abuses. My legislation, the No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act, would protect our relationship with a close ally and prevent wasting taxpayer dollars on military force in Mexico," said Congressman Castro.

"War with Mexico-whether authorized or not-would put American and Mexican lives at risk and wreck America's relationship with our most important trading partner," said Congresswoman Jacobs. "Bombing Mexico won't successfully address the fentanyl crisis or the problems posed by the cartels; in fact, it could fuel both and provoke the cartels' retaliation against American citizens. That's why I'm proud to co-lead the No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act, which would prohibit any taxpayer dollars from being used to wage a reckless and lawless war against Mexico. We must do everything possible to stop the U.S. from making a catastrophic mistake that we can't take back."

"Trump is threatening to start a military conflict in America's own backyard. In no uncertain terms, unilateral military action against Mexico would be disastrous. This entire episode already threatens to undermine our two countries' deeply intertwined economies and real cooperation to disrupt the illicit drug trade. America's security goals must be achieved by working in partnership with Mexico, not attacking it-and certainly not without Congressional authorization," said Congressman Stanton.

Read the No Unauthorized War in Mexico Act here.