Michigan U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin is slamming President Donald Trump’s use of force against alleged drug traffickers in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Slotkin voiced her concerns Wednesday during a speech at the Brookings Institute.
The Trump administration has been targeting small boats it claims are moving illegal drugs from South America to the United States. The administration claims the strikes have killed dozens of people.
Slotkin, a Democrat, says the president is refusing to identify the specific groups it’s targeting.
“Whatever our differences are these days, I think it’s safe to say, that the American people deserve to know who we are at war with…especially if people are being killed in our name,” said Slotkin.
The senator says she is concerned the president may use similar tactics against his personal domestic opponents.
“If he’s willing to use lethal force against enemies abroad…what’s stopping him using lethal force against enemies here at home,” said Slotkin, “That question should chill every American to the bone.”
The Michigan Democrat claims President Trump has one goal “making sure that he and his ilk never have to give up power.” Slotkin is not alone in voicing concerns Wednesday about the president’s intentions.
Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a floor speech that President Donald Trump’s move to involve the military in his political goals is endangering how Americans see U.S. troops.
Reed, who represents Rhode Island, challenged his Republican colleagues to speak against how Trump has taken rare moves to enmesh the military with politics.
“Once the military becomes politicized, it loses the trust of the American people. A military seen as serving a political party cannot claim to serve the nation,” Reed said.
Meanwhile, the deployment of National Guard troops in Chicago area remains blocked for now.
The Trump administration will be unable to deploy Guard troops to help with its immigration crackdown until at least the latter half of November, following a U.S. Supreme Court order Wednesday calling for more briefing.
The justices did not act on the administration’s emergency appeal of a lower court ruling that has blocked the deployment of National Guard troops from Illinois and Texas.
The court set a Nov. 17 deadline for the final submissions, making it unlikely the justices will take action before then.
