House Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-WA) on Monday called for an immediate hearing into President Donald Trump’s authorization of lethal U.S. military strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean, citing unanswered questions about their legality, oversight, and the recent early retirement of U.S. Southern Command Commander Admiral Alvin Holsey.
Smith released a formal statement urging Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to reconvene the House to end the ongoing government shutdown and permit congressional oversight of the Trump administration’s counter-narcotics campaign. “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 wrote. “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.”
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In his statement, Smith also referenced press reports that “two survivors from one of the air strikes are being repatriated to their countries,” saying this raised “further questions about the President’s claims that those who have been targeted by the strikes are terrorists.” Smith added that the recent announcement by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth that Holsey would retire “less than one year into his tenure” and “amid such turmoil” underscored the need for immediate oversight.
“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. He decried “a staggering lack of transparency on behalf of an Administration and the Department to meaningfully inform Congress on the use of lethal military force.” Smith urged that “the House Armed Services Committee must convene a hearing to secure answers to the questions about military operations in the Caribbean and for the SOUTHCOM Commander to testify on these matters.”
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Smith’s comments came the same day The New York Times published a report detailing his request for a hearing on the administration’s continued use of military force in the Caribbean Sea. The Times noted that the Trump administration “acknowledged killing more than 30 people in the strikes,” which have now totaled seven since early September, and that Defense Secretary Hegseth announced another attack over the weekend. The paper also reported that Holsey had raised concerns internally about the legality of the missions before stepping down.
Since August, Breitbart News has reported extensively on Trump’s anti-cartel operations, which began after the administration authorized the use of military force against “certain Latin American drug cartels.” The campaign has involved U.S. naval and air assets targeting vessels linked to Venezuelan networks such as Tren de Aragua and the Cartel de los Soles, both designated terrorist organizations by the U.S. government.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has noted the missions are conducted under Trump’s standing authority as commander-in-chief and that “these strikes will continue until the attacks on the American people are over.”
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Critics, including Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), have questioned the legality of the campaign, arguing that targeting suspected traffickers without trial or interdiction “goes against all of our tradition” when not in a declared war. New York Times columnist David Brooks likewise warned that “sending a missile at some ship where you don’t know what’s on the ship” blurs the line between law enforcement and acts of war. Abroad, Colombian President Gustavo Petro called the strikes “murder,” while Venezuelan ruler Nicolás Maduro’s government, through its U.N. ambassador, described them as “a threat to the peace in the region.” Supporters, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, have maintained that the cartels “pose an immediate threat” to the United States and that President Trump has the right to act under exigent circumstances.
Smith’s call for hearings marks the first formal congressional demand for oversight since the operations began. “Speaker Johnson must call the House back into full session,” Smith stated, “so that we can all get back to doing our jobs for the sake of our national security and national defense.”
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