Senate blocks Adam Schiff’s effort to stop US from ‘blowing up boats’

The Senate Wednesday rejected 51 to 48 a bid by Sen. Adam Schiff to require President Donald Trump to get congressional approval before continuing the administration’s deadly military strikes against ships allegedly carrying illegal drugs.

The vote was largely along party lines.

The proposal by Schiff, D-Calif., and Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would have stopped the U.S. military from engaging in hostilities “against certain non-state organizations” without congressional consent.

Over the last month, the U.S. has conducted four strikes on boats in Latin American waters officials believed were carrying illegal drugs. The strikes have killed an estimated 21 people.

The White House last week told Congress in a memo that the United States is engaged in a “non-international armed conflict” against “unlawful combatants,” or drug cartels. Trump has designated such traffickers as terrorist organizations.

“For decades the response to the flow of illicit narcotics into the United States has primarily relied on the use of law enforcement authorities. These efforts have been unsuccessful in stemming the tide of these ever increasingly addictive and lethal drugs,” said the note, reproduced by Punchbowl.

The White House maintained the drug cartels involved “have grown more armed, well organized, and violent. They have the financial means, sophistication, and paramilitary capabilities needed to operate with impunity. They illegally and directly cause the deaths of tens of thousands of American citizens each year.”

Schiff’s argument

Schiff and his allies insisted Trump needs congressional approval before launching any such actions.

“Congress alone holds the power to declare war,” Schiff said.

“Blowing up boats without any legal justification risks dragging the United States into another war and provoking unjustified hostilities against our own citizens,” he said.

During the Senate debate, Schiff discussed “just how far from normal” Trump’s actions were, calling his ordering attacks on the boats a “breathtaking departure from two centuries of law and practice.”

The legislation emphasizes that “the designation of an entity as a foreign terrorist organization or specially designated global terrorist provides no legal authority for the president to use force against members of designated organizations or any foreign state.”

It does add that Congress is willing to help provide “resources and authority” to the executive branch to fight the flow of illegal drugs into this country.

The bill cites the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which became law after Presidents Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon escalated the Vietnam War.

The law says a president must consult Congress before committing the military into hostile situations, unless Congress has already authorized such action.

Without Congress’ consent, the president must end the action within 90 days.

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, long a voice skeptical of U.S. involvement in wars, agreed with the Schiff plan. .

Other Republicans were largely wary. Senate Intelligence Committee member Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, said during the debate the president needs authority to strike quickly against terrorist leaders who may be meeting secretly in a foreign country, or to protect the country from other untraditional threats.

The bill, though, “absolutely ties president’s hands,” Cotton said.

Sen. Ted Budd, R-North Carolina, expressed faith in the administration. “The White House is going to look at this in such a way that they’re going to make the right decision. This is a non-international conflict,” Budd, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, told The Sacramento Bee

“Finally we have a president who’s going to stand up to these drug merchants,” he said.

This story was originally published October 8, 2025 at 5:41 PM with the headline "Senate blocks Adam Schiff’s effort to stop US from ‘blowing up boats’."

David Lightman

McClatchy DC

David Lightman is a former journalist for the DCBureau