Jayapal Demands Answers on So-Called “Donroe” Doctrine Policies that Risk Destabilizing the Western Hemisphere

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to answer for the regional implications of the "Trump Corollary" to the Monroe Doctrine, and ground U.S. foreign policy toward the Western Hemisphere on the principles of mutual respect and advancement of human rights.

"As Members of Congress, we are asked to accept that this doctrine now governs U.S. policy toward every nation in the Western Hemisphere - yet we still lack the basic information needed to understand what it means in practice, what authorities it assumes, and what human costs this new posture has already claimed in communities across the Americas," wrote the Members. "Taken together, the interventions conducted under the banner of the 'Donroe' Doctrine appear to follow a partisan playbook: the endorsement of favored candidates, the placement of political allies, the weaponization of tariffs and sanctions, and, where those fail, the application of direct military force. These are tactics that destabilize our hemisphere and endanger our neighbors"

The "Donroe" Doctrine appears to have three main facets:

• Lethal force without Congressional authorization or due process: Since September 2025, the U.S. military has carried out over five dozen lethal boat strikes, killing well over 200 people with no due process.
• Economic coercion as a form of collective punishment: In January, the President imposed what amounts to a full blockade on fuel shipments to the island. Elsewhere, sanctions and tariffs have been used to shield a political ally from prosecution and to pressure an electorate before it votes.
• Interference in the democratic life of sovereign nations: Across the hemisphere, the administration has openly intervened in sovereign electoral processes, including in Honduras and Colombia.

Jayapal is leading a Congressional Delegation to the Panamerican Congress, where hemispheric partners will discuss alternative visions for security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere rooted in respect for the sovereignty of countries across the region, international law, and the needs of poor and working-class communities.

The letter was also signed by Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Jesús G. "Chuy" García (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).

The full text of the letter can be read here.

Issues: Foreign Affairs & National Security