Hold onto your hats, folks—Senator James Lankford (R-Okla.) is sounding the alarm over the Trump administration’s bold strikes on Venezuelan vessels without so much as a courtesy call to Congress.
The heart of the matter is this: while the administration targets boats allegedly tied to drug trafficking, key lawmakers like Lankford and Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.) are left in the dark, The Hill reported.
They’re learning about military actions from news headlines instead of official briefings, and that’s a problem.
Let’s rewind to September when this operation began, with a total of ten strikes executed against Venezuelan ships.
President Trump has defended the moves, asserting these vessels are smuggling narcotics into the U.S., though Venezuela’s government flatly denies the claims.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has been all-in, even posting strike footage on X, boasting about a recent operation that took out six individuals he labeled as narco-terrorists.
Hegseth’s tough talk—“If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda”—shows the administration’s no-nonsense stance. (Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth)
Is this cowboy approach sidelining constitutional checks, though?
Trump himself doubled down, telling reporters he’s not seeking a formal war declaration but is focused on eliminating those bringing drugs across our borders.
While the mission to curb narcotics is one most Americans can get behind, the lack of dialogue with Congress is where the wheels start to wobble.
Lankford, speaking on C-SPAN’s "Ceasefire" program alongside Coons, didn’t mince words about the communication breakdown, especially given his role on the Intelligence Committee.
Coons, a senior Democrat on defense, echoed the sentiment, stunned to learn of the strikes through media reports rather than secure channels.
“The administration needs to give insight into Congress. That’s part of it. If this was happening with this level of insight under the Biden administration, I’d be apoplectic,” Lankford said, pointing out the double standard he’d apply if roles were reversed. (Sen. James Lankford)
Lankford’s frustration isn’t about opposing the fight against drugs; it’s about being treated like an afterthought when bombs are already dropping.
He praised Trump for cranking up efforts to stop deadly substances but insisted that coordination with lawmakers isn’t a nicety; it’s a necessity for a co-equal branch of government.
