Democratic senators are expected to reintroduce a war powers resolution that would prohibit military strikes against alleged drug boats in the Pacific and Caribbean unless Congress approves an Authorization for the Use of Military Force, or AUMF. The news was confirmed to Straight Arrow News by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who introduced a resolution earlier this month after strikes in the Caribbean, which Republicans blocked.
“I think you might see [Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif.] file a new authorization that would encompass both the Caribbean and Pacific. It certainly is something that we need to bring before the Senate,” Kaine told SAN. “He and I talked about it last night. I expect you might see him file that.”
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The Department of Defense killed 14 alleged drug traffickers on four boats in the eastern Pacific Monday. The strikes were carried out in international waters against individuals who are members of cartels that the Trump administration designated as terrorist organizations.
Yesterday, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out three lethal kinetic strikes on four vessels operated by Designated Terrorist Organizations (DTO) trafficking narcotics in the Eastern Pacific.
— Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) October 28, 2025
The four vessels were known by our intelligence… pic.twitter.com/UhoFlZ3jPG
When asked if he had seen intelligence that showed there may have been innocent civilians killed in the strikes, Kaine pointed SAN to public reporting that survivors of the strikes were returned to their home countries.
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More than 55 accused drug traffickers have been killed by military strikes against cartels during the Trump administration
“If they were narco-traffickers and we had them in custody, why didn’t we arrest them? Why didn’t we prosecute them? Why didn’t we leverage them to find out information about higher ups? That suggests that in this case, those individuals may not have been narco traffickers,” Kaine said to SAN. “It really raises the stakes to try to make sure that the president is not just assuming the role of judge, jury and executioner, including over people who are not narco traffickers.”
Republicans contend the military is taking the proper precautions to ensure the strikes are carried out on drug cartels who are actively trafficking drugs into the United States.
“How many of you want drugs in your neighborhood?” Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., said. “[The president] is finally taking action to stop these drugs from coming into the country. So he’s doing the right thing.”
When asked if he’s okay with the military putting alleged traffickers to death at sea without a trial, Scott told SAN, “I’m fine with that.”
According to the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), drug trafficking carries a penalty that ranges from a minimum 10 years in prison to life, depending on the type of drug, the amount and the number of previous offenses.
“I have confidence in the president and his national security team to identify a clear and present danger to the American people and to stop it,” Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said. “We’ve tried the law enforcement model of arresting our way out of this terrible drug crisis and the deaths that that’s caused over the years, and that hasn’t worked. So I’m certainly willing to give the president the flexibility to try something different.”
Kaine said he would not be willing to vote for an AUMF unless the Trump administration shares more intelligence, proving those targeted were all drug traffickers.
“We’ve not been given information from the administration about why they strike rather than interdict. If you strike, you blow up the evidence. If you interdict, you gather the evidence that you can use for prosecutions,” Kaine said. “There might be circumstances where a strike is better than interdiction. We’ve been given no information from the administration about how they make that choice.”
Kaine said an AUMF can’t be properly written without thorough intelligence. He added that the Trump administration is currently keeping too many things secret, even from Congress, and that needs to change.
