Sen. John Fetterman Backs Use of Military Force to Combat Cartel Drug Trafficking

Sen. John Fetterman, a Pennsylvania Democrat, publicly expressed support for using U.S. military force to confront cartel drug trafficking after President Donald Trump said U.S. forces struck suspected cartel operatives in the region.

"Fully support confronting the scourge of cartel drug trafficking to our nation," Fetterman wrote in a post on X, sharing a screenshot of a Fox News Digital article headlined, "Rubio promises more strikes on Venezuelan cartels: 'We're not going to sit back anymore.'"

Earlier this week, President Trump posted on Truth Social that, on his orders, U.S. military forces conducted "a kinetic strike against positively identified Tren de Aragua Narcoterrorists in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility." The president described the targets as individuals who had been ferrying narcotics to the United States.

Fetterman's post did not specify what kinds of military authorities or operations he was endorsing beyond the brief statement and the shared article screenshot. The article he highlighted referenced other lawmakers, including Sen. Marco Rubio, who have called for stepped-up action against Venezuelan-based criminal organizations.

The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) oversees U.S. military operations in much of Latin America and the Caribbean. Military strikes against nonstate actors linked to drug trafficking have been rare and typically raise questions about the legal authorities and international coordination required for operations beyond U.S. borders.

Fetterman, who has generally aligned with Democratic positions on domestic issues, joined a narrower chorus of Democrats publicly endorsing a forceful response to cartel activity in recent days. His statement came amid heightened attention to the flow of illicit drugs and political debate over the appropriate balance of law enforcement, diplomatic and military tools to disrupt trafficking networks.

Trump's announcement of the strike and Fetterman's subsequent post add to an evolving policy debate in Washington over how aggressively to confront criminal networks that traffic drugs toward the United States and where military force fits among available options. Neither the White House nor Fetterman's office provided additional operational details in the post announcing their positions.