Scott Slams Trump Administration’s Absurd Rationale for Boat Strikes, Votes to Stop Military Action in Venezuela

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Bobby Scott (VA-03) issued the following statement after voting for the adoption of H.Con.Res. 61, directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere; and H.Con.Res. 64, directing the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress:

"I voted to stop the Trump Administration from continuing its dubiously legal military actions towards Venezuela. These deadly boat strikes began under the guise of stopping illicit drugs from entering the United States. Multiple cabinet officials have claimed that President Trump's actions have saved hundreds of millions of American lives. These numbers are comically absurd. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 81,000 individuals died in the United States last year from any drug overdose.

"In addition to the simple-minded exaggerations about numbers, we must also examine if this is even an effective means of curtailing drug use. Any suggestion that these military actions attacking boats in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific are reducing drug use in the United States is itself an exaggeration. The Congressional Budget Office cannot confirm that this policy is reducing drug use or drug overdoses.

"The research is clear. Evidence-based approaches, like education and rehabilitation treatment, are the most cost-effective strategies in reducing illicit drug use as opposed to spending millions of taxpayer dollars on blowing up random fishing boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Yet the Trump Administration is aggressively dismantling the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the very federal agency that focuses on mental health and drug addiction treatment. The fact that this strategy lacks any cost-effective justification should end this action. And that is before any consideration of war crimes and murder. Several weeks ago, I sent letters to the Trump Administration asking for documentation and clarity about this interdiction strategy. Not surprisingly, I received no response.

"And earlier today, Stephen Miller, one of President Trump's senior advisors, has taken the mask off and revealed that these boat strikes were not really about stopping drugs from entering the United States. Instead, he has clarified their main motivation in the strikes and ramping up of military hostilities is the oil that moves through Venezuela."

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