Removal of the Use of United States Forces for Hostilities Within or Against Venezuela

Floor Speech

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Mr. CRAWFORD. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for his leadership on this initiative. I am glad somebody is showing some leadership here today.

I rise in opposition to the removal of the use of United States Armed Forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela, or the support for drug dictators act.

The United States is using a proportional force to apply pressure on narcoterrorists who are colluding with the illegitimate leader of Venezuela, Nicholas Maduro. They have already acknowledged that.

The use of military pressure, which matches pressure that the U.S. has used in the global fight on terrorism, is a proper extension of the use of force in the Western Hemisphere where narcoterrorists operating through and with Venezuela are creating instability and poisoning Americans in droves.

The use of measured military power is the logical step to attempt to stop narcotics terrorists from supporting Maduro.

The United States has imposed individual, financial, and sectoral sanctions on the Venezuelan Government as well as sanctions on the Maduro government and its supporters. This proposed resolution would disable the very effective tool that has been used to keep pressure on terrorist forces who have a Venezuelan nexus and are planning, plotting, and carrying out attacks against the U.S. and our interests.

The strikes on narcoterrorist cartel assets have been precise and limited. Military action of this nature does not require congressional authorization. Under Article II of the Constitution, the President has the authority--and I would say the responsibility--to protect the United States and American citizens from attack. Moreover, U.S. troops have not been put into harm's way.

Admittedly, it shocks me that we need to remind my colleagues on the other side of the aisle what we are fighting for here. The most recent CDC data shockingly reports that more than 82,000 drug overdose deaths have occurred during the 12-month period ending in January 2025. If ISIS or al-Qaida had contributed to the killing of that many Americans in a single year, our leaders would be rightfully assailed for failing to respond.

Now that President Trump is taking the fight to the terrorists who have actually contributed to our Nation's drug overdose epidemic, he is met with criticism rather than the praise that he and his administration deserve.

I guarantee you that family and friends don't distinguish between the branch of terrorism that led to the death of their loved ones. They just want them defeated.

For too long, these cartels have poisoned the American people, destabilized and corrupted our neighbors, and tortured and killed thousands of innocents throughout our hemisphere.

I have traveled extensively across the Western Hemisphere and met with many of our neighbors' leaders and their forces who are also engaged in the fight against these cartels, and these terrorist organizations are some of the most vile and evil in the world.

To bar the President from using military force consistent with other counterterrorism activities, simply due to a Venezuelan nexus, is not supportable and is antithetical to his duty to protect our Nation from foreign terrorism threats.

This resolution would prevent the application of the use of force against the very narcotics terrorists cooperating with Venezuela.

How in the world is that consistent with the primary duty of the government to protect our Nation and its citizens?

I strongly recommend that my colleagues vote against this misguided resolution.

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