House Republicans’ plan to send the U.S. military after Mexican drug cartels is starting to gain congressional support, according to Blaze Media. Rep. Mike Waltz (R-FL) and Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX) introduced a bill on Jan. 12 that would allow the U.S. to take military action against the drug cartels.
Support building for Republican resolution to authorize military force against Mexican drug cartels, eviscerate those behind the fentanyl crisis https://t.co/tTQ470QZIJ
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 21, 2023
Crenshaw said the cartels are in a war with the U.S. and that they are poisoning more than 80,000 Americans with fentanyl every year.
It’s not talked about enough just how dangerous the drug cartels are.
These are not little gangs. These are not unorganized groups. The cartels are aggressive, organized, well-equipped, and at war with us and the Mexican government. pic.twitter.com/wlXwoBfjMp
— Rep. Dan Crenshaw (@RepDanCrenshaw) January 20, 2023
“It’s time we directly target them (the cartels),” Crenshaw said in a statement. “My legislation will put us at war with the cartels by authorizing the use of military force against the cartels. We cannot allow heavily armed and deadly cartels to destabilize Mexico and import people and drugs into the United States. We must start treating them like ISIS – because that is who they are.”
Crenshaw: Use the U.S. Military To Stop Drug Cartels Killing Americans With Fentanyl https://t.co/MGB4VNOwpx
— Daily Wire News (@DailyWireNews) January 20, 2023
Since the bill’s introduction, several House Republicans, including Reps. Jake Ellzey (R-TX), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX), and Jim Banks (R-IN.) have all signed on to co-sponsor the bill.
In a statement declaring his intent to support the bill, Banks said fentanyl traffickers killed more Americans last year than the Vietcong did during the entire Vietnam War. Banks also criticized President Joe Biden’s handling of the border while adding that the president has completely ceded the control of U.S. territory on the border to “murderous gangs.”
Banks revealed that House Republicans need to work with the next president to use any means necessary, including mobilizing the military, to stop the Mexican cartels.
If signed into law, the bill will give Biden the authority to use military force against cartels that traffick, produce and distribute fentanyl. Cartels that use force against U.S. law enforcement and the military will also be targets of the legislation.
The legislation will be in effect for five years after it is signed into law, after which Congress will have to reauthorize it if needed.
