NEWS: Senate Republicans Block Sens. Schiff, Kaine’s War Powers Resolution Aimed at Ending Unauthorized Boat Strikes in Caribbean

Senators Schiff and Kaine forced a vote on their resolution to reassert Congress' sole constitutional authority to authorize use of military force

Washington, D.C. - Today, a majority of Senate Republicans voted to block U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Senator Tim Kaine's (D-Va.) resolution that would have blocked the continued use of U.S. Armed Forces in the southern Caribbean Sea without an Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) by Congress. The vote followed multiple unauthorized military strikes on unidentified vessels.

The Senators forced a vote on their War Powers Act Resolution, which got bipartisan support, to reaffirm that allegations of trafficking illegal drugs do not constitute an armed attack or threat of an imminent armed attack that would justify lethal military action, and that the designation of an entity as a foreign terrorist organization or specially designated global terrorist organization does not provide domestic or international legal authority to the president to use lethal military force.

"We are here today to ask our colleagues to join us in this nonpartisan vote, in this affirmation of Congress' authority to declare war, or to refuse to declare it, to authorize force, or to refuse to authorize it," said Senator Schiff on the Senate Floor while calling up the resolution. "The president has used our military to strike unknown targets on at least four occasions, and he is promising more. With at least 21 people dead, and more killing on the way, with the president telling us that strikes on land-based targets may be next, we ask you to join us and reassert Congress' vital control over the war power."

"Americans want fewer wars-not more-and our Constitution clearly grants Congress alone the power to declare one," said Senator Kaine. "Yet President Trump has repeatedly launched illegal military strikes in the Caribbean and has refused to provide Congress with basic information about who was killed, why the strikes were necessary, and why a standard interdiction operation wasn't conducted. Should this lawless Administration drag our servicemembers into an escalating conflict without a specific authorization by Congress, every American will be able to tell from today's vote if their senators tried to stop it, or rolled over."

The resolution also emphasizes the importance of Congress asserting its power to declare war, especially given reports of a new Justice Department legal opinion attempting to justify an open-ended "non-international armed conflict" against drug trafficking operations across various unnamed cartels, despite a lack of authorization from Congress. After the Trump administration announced a fourth boat strike this past weekend, Trump said he would turn the attention now to drug trafficking happening on land, stating, "They're not coming in by sea anymore, so now we'll have to start looking about the land because they'll be forced to go by land."

Background: Kaine and Schiff pushed the administration for answers on the September 2 military strike along with 23 other Senators earlier this month.

Senator Schiff's original reaction to the strikes was shared on his social media channels last month, highlighting the bipartisan opposition to the use of lethal military action against drug traffickers, including by then-Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).

The Senators' resolution can be found here.

U.S. Senators Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) are cosponsors of the legislation.

Senator Schiff's speech offering the amendment can be found HERE. Download remarks HERE.

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