Draft legislation circulating in Washington would give President Donald Trump sweeping authority to use military force against drug cartels he designates as terrorist organizations. The proposal would also authorize strikes against nations Trump deems to be harboring or assisting those groups, according to The New York Times.
The measure, modeled on the post-9/11 Authorization of Use of Military Force (AUMF), would grant the president authority for five years. Notably, it does not define what counts as “terrorist tactics” or specify limits on geography.
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Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican and Trump ally, was involved in developing the draft. White House officials have described its circulation for feedback as routine, not necessarily an endorsement.
What force has Trump used so far?
Earlier this month, Trump authorized two military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea, which killed 14 people he accused of smuggling drugs into the United States. The strikes, carried out without congressional approval, sparked backlash from legal experts and lawmakers who say the attacks lacked legal justification.
Trump has argued that his constitutional powers as commander-in-chief gave him authority.
The administration framed the operations as part of a campaign against Venezuelan cartels accused of trafficking fentanyl. Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio said more strikes would follow.
Congress pushes back
In response, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Tim Kaine, D-Va., filed a joint resolution Friday aimed at reining in Trump’s unilateral military actions. The measure calls for ending planned strikes, reasserting Congress’s authority over war powers, and clarifying that drug trafficking alone does not amount to an armed attack.
Kaine warned that Trump “has no legal authority to launch strikes or use military force in the Caribbean or elsewhere in the Western Hemisphere.” Schiff warned that “blowing up boats without any legal justification risks dragging the United States into another war.”
Legal experts sound the alarm
Critics of the draft bill say it would give the president a dangerously broad mandate.
Jack Goldsmith, a Harvard Law School professor and former Justice Department official, said it is “insanely broad” and would authorize open-ended war against groups or countries Trump designates.
International legal scholars also cautioned that deliberately targeting suspected drug traffickers – who are not combatants – could violate global laws prohibiting extrajudicial killings.
