Republicans are showing signs of picking their battles against President Trump, with the administration’s handling of military strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean serving as the latest catalyst.
Republicans in Congress have been exceedingly deferential to the White House for much of Trump’s first year back in office, but lawmakers have shown an increased willingness to speak out about their concerns with the administration, particularly when it comes to foreign policy.
GOP lawmakers have sounded the alarm about reporting that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered in September that everyone on board one alleged drug boat be killed. The GOP-led Senate Armed Services Committee and House Armed Services Committee have each pledged to look further into the strikes.
“There are very serious concerns in Congress about the attacks on the so-called drug boats down in the Caribbean and the Pacific, and the legal justification has been provided,” Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), a former chair of the House Intelligence Committee, said Sunday on “Face the Nation.”
“But this is completely outside of anything that has been discussed with Congress, and there is an ongoing investigation,” Turner added.
The Washington Post reported late last week that Hegseth had ordered the military to “kill everybody” aboard the boat in early September. The news outlet reported the commander in charge of the operation, Adm. Frank Bradley, ordered a follow-up strike on the boat to comply with Hegseth’s orders after an initial strike left two survivors.
The White House confirmed Monday that Hegseth authorized Bradley to conduct those strikes during the Sept. 2 targeting of the boat.
“Adm. Bradley worked well within his authority and the law to ensure the boat was destroyed and the threat to the United States of America was eliminated,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. “This administration has designated these narco-terrorists as foreign terrorist organizations. The president has the right to take them out if they are threatening the United States of America, if they are bringing illegal narcotics that are killing our citizens at a record rate, which is what they are doing.”
The White House’s acknowledgment and justification of the multiple strikes in early September comes as Republicans have shown a rare willingness to use congressional oversight tools to probe what exactly took place at the Pentagon.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), the ranking member, said in a joint statement the panel “will be conducting vigorous oversight to determine the facts related to these circumstances.”
The top Republican and Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee issued a similar statement vowing “rigorous oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”
Rep. Don Bacon (R-Neb.), who has emerged as an occasional critic of the administration, told ABC’s “This Week” that an order to “kill everybody” would be a “clear violation of the law of war.”
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have for months pressed for more information about the Pentagon’s frequent military strikes targeting alleged drug boats in the Caribbean, including the legal justification for the strikes.
Hegseth has seemingly been unbothered by the uproar over the strikes. He posted an image on his social platform X account Sunday of a mock book cover from the “Franklin” children’s book series that depicts the title character launching missiles at drug-carrying boats.
The fallout surrounding the boat strikes comes at a time when Republicans have seemingly shown a growing willingness to rebuff Trump on matters of policy and procedure.
Trump’s plea for the party to move on from releasing additional files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which he labeled a “hoax,” was met with resolve from a handful of Republicans who backed a discharge petition that forced a vote to release more documents.
Multiple Indiana Republicans have so far stood firm in opposition to pressure from the White House to back a new congressional map that would benefit the GOP in next year’s midterm.
GOP senators have rejected Trump’s push for an end to the legislative filibuster.
But few places have revealed divisions within the GOP as much as foreign policy.
Republicans have in recent weeks expressed frustration about the president’s approach to multiple foreign conflicts.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) has clashed with Trump over the administration’s steadfast support for Israel in its war in Gaza. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has been among the Republicans to sound the alarm about the Trump administration’s initial proposal to end the war in Ukraine, arguing it was too pro-Russia.
The administration’s increasingly aggressive posture toward Venezuela has also prompted pushback from the likes of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The Kentucky senator has for weeks raised questions about the strikes on alleged drug boats and has warned a conflict with Venezuela has the potential to fracture Trump’s base.
Trump is also facing Republican criticism as he takes an increasingly aggressive posture toward Venezuela. The Pentagon has repositioned assets near Venezuela, raising concerns that the White House is preparing for conflict with President Nicolás Maduro’s regime.
While Trump still retains a grip over the Republican Party and frequently wields the threat of primary challenges to keep lawmakers in line, the president has seen his approval ratings dip in recent weeks.
A Decision Desk HQ polling average shows Trump’s approval at 42 percent, down from roughly a month ago, when the average had his approval rating at close to 46 percent.
Some Republican strategists have suggested lawmakers are aware the political winds are shifting ahead of next year’s midterms, giving them more incentive to speak out on issues that do not help their constituents.
“I think, and we’re still a year out, what these numbers look like is a ‘throw the bums out’ election,” said one Republican strategist. “If everyone is discontented with both parties, there’s going to be an anti-incumbency sentiment.”
Trump himself has sought to downplay any brewing divisions within the party.
“The Republican Party has never been so UNITED AS IT iS RIGHT NOW!” the president wrote on Truth Social last week.