Dem pressure builds for answers on Trump’s Caribbean strikes, commander’s sudden exit
In a growing controversy surrounding President Donald Trump’s aggressive military operations against alleged drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean, Democrats are calling for greater oversight and transparency regarding the legality of these strikes. The situation escalated as Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, urged Speaker Mike Johnson to reconvene Congress to investigate the administration’s actions. Smith’s concerns center on the Trump administration’s failure to provide adequate justification for the strikes, which have reportedly targeted drug cartels designated as foreign terrorist organizations. He emphasized the lack of clarity regarding which cartels are involved and questioned the administration’s assertion that these operations were necessary to protect U.S. national security.
The Trump administration has adopted a combative stance against drug trafficking, recently escalating military operations in the Caribbean, including at least seven strikes against vessels believed to be involved in smuggling activities. The White House has classified these operations as part of a “non-international armed conflict” with drug smugglers, raising alarms among lawmakers who fear that these military actions could lead to broader conflicts, particularly with Venezuela. This concern is underscored by the unexpected announcement of Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey’s retirement as the commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees the Caribbean region. Reports suggest that Holsey had raised questions about the legality of the strikes, further fueling speculation about the administration’s approach to military engagement in Latin America.
In response to these developments, bipartisan lawmakers, including Senators Adam Schiff, Tim Kaine, and Rand Paul, have introduced a war powers resolution aimed at limiting U.S. military involvement in hostilities against Venezuela. They argue that Congress has not authorized military force in this context and are wary of the potential for the situation to escalate into a full-scale conflict. Despite these concerns, Trump has dismissed the legality questions, asserting that the vessels targeted are “fair game” due to their alleged involvement in drug trafficking. As the House remains out of session amid a government shutdown, the urgency for a comprehensive review of these military operations grows, with many lawmakers advocating for a return to Congress to address national security and defense issues.
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Democrats are demanding answers on President
Donald Trump’s
crusade against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, as the number of strikes continues to rise and the military commander overseeing U.S. operations in the region announced his retirement.
While Trump claims that the strikes are necessary to put
drug traffickers and cartels
“on notice” and has warned them he will blow them “out of existence,” lawmakers are increasingly demanding more oversight and evidence backing up the
legality of the strikes
.
As a result, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith of Washington, is urging Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., to bring the House back to session so the committee can hold a hearing on the operations in Latin America and to give the outgoing military commander an opportunity to testify.
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“President Trump and his Administration continue to fail to answer pressing questions regarding the President’s orders to carry out lethal U.S. military strikes on boats in the Caribbean Sea,” Smith said in a Monday statement.
“They have failed to demonstrate the legality of these strikes, provide transparency on the process used, or even a list of cartels that have been designated as terrorist organizations,” Smith said. “We have also yet to see any evidence to support the President’s unilateral determinations that these vessels or their activities posed imminent threats to the United States of America that warranted military force rather than law enforcement-led interdiction.”
The Trump administration has adopted an aggressive approach to combat the flow of drugs into the U.S., and designated drug cartel groups like Tren de Aragua, Sinaloa and others as foreign terrorist organizations in February.
Additionally, the White House sent lawmakers a memo Sept. 30 alerting them that the U.S. is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” with drug smugglers, and the U.S. military has conducted at least seven strikes against vessels off the coast of Venezuela.
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Meanwhile, the commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), whose area of operations includes the Caribbean waters where the strikes against the alleged drug boats have been conducted, announced Thursday he is retiring by the end of 2025.
Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, who became the commander of SOUTHCOM in November 2024, said that he will retire from the Navy in December in a highly unusual move. No reason for his abrupt exit was provided, and the Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
However, the New York Times reported Thursday that Holsey had raised concerns and questions about the strikes against the alleged drug boats.
“Never before in my over 20 years on the committee can I recall seeing a combatant commander leave their post this early and amid such turmoil,” Smith said. “I have also never seen such a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.”
“It is time for House Republicans to return to the Capitol and negotiate with Democrats so that we can all get back to doing our jobs for the sake of our national security and national defense,” Smith said.
The House has been out of session since September, and, since then, the government has entered a partial shutdown due to a lapse in funding.
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A spokesperson for Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Smith isn’t the only one pressing for more information on Trump’s war on drugs. Lawmakers in the Senate — including some Republicans — also are pushing for greater oversight on the strikes, and have called into question whether the strikes were even legal as Trump weighs land operations next.
On Friday, Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Tim Kaine, D-Va., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from participating in “hostilities” against Venezuela.
“The Trump administration has made it clear they may launch military action inside Venezuela’s borders and won’t stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,” Schiff said in a Friday statement.
“In recent weeks, we have seen increasingly concerning movements and reporting that undermine claims that this is merely about stopping drug smugglers,” Schiff said. “Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela. And we must assert our authority to stop the United States from being dragged — intentionally or accidentally — into full-fledged war in South America.”
Trump has brushed off lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the strikes, and said Oct. 14 that the alleged drug vessels are “fair game” because they are “loaded up with drugs.”
Eric
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