US senators want answers on 'anti-drug' strategy as Venezuela tensions rise

1/11/2025 15:27

Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee said on Friday the Trump administration had yet to provide details of its operations against drug cartels and their legal basis they had sought.



U.S. strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean and Pacific have killed dozens of people since early September, raising tension between Washington and Caracas.



In a rare bipartisan action on the strikes, Republican Senator Roger Wicker and Democrat Jack Reed said in a statement hey had not received information sought from the administration about its strategy to fight drug cartels.



Wicker, of Mississippi, is the chairman and Reed, of Rhode Island, is the top Democrat on the committee, which oversees the U.S. military.



The Trump administration insists those targeted were transporting drugs, without providing evidence or publicly explaining the legal justification for the decision to attack the boats rather than stop them and arrest those on board.



President Donald Trump has also ordered a major military buildup in the Caribbean.