Resolution, to Remove United States Armed Forces From Hostilities with Presidentially Designated Terrorist Organizations in the Western Hemisphere

Floor Speech

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Ms. JAYAPAL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this measure to rein in President Trump's unlawful boat strikes.

These strikes and Trump's naval blockade represent appalling violations of international law and Congress' constitutional authority to authorize the use of military force.

Drug trafficking is a serious offense. Communities across the United States have seen the devastating impact of addiction. But that does not give Donald Trump the right to go to war, to deploy military forces without congressional authority, or to kill anyone against the laws of war.

Drug trafficking cases should be handled in a courtroom. Listen, the majority's entire argument that this was so serious it required action without congressional approval is completely destroyed when the President himself just pardoned the former Honduran President, who has been convicted by an American jury for a drug trafficking scheme that moved about 4\1/2\ billion doses of cocaine into the United States. Give me a break. It doesn't pass the laugh test.

By the way, if Donald Trump were serious about addressing the opioid epidemic, he would not have cut Medicaid funding, and he would not have frozen $8 billion in funding for drug abuse and addiction.

We have seen the disastrous impacts of attempted regime change in Latin American. The American people do not want another forever war. Vote ``yes'' on this resolution.

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