Democratic Leaders of Congress’ National Security Committees Warn Trump is Weakening America

By R Anil Kumar

• Democrats say Donald Trump tariffs push India toward Russia, China, weaken US

• Democrats presented a sweeping indictment of Trump’s foreign policy record, from his handling of the war in Ukraine to his economic measures against US partners

Washington, DC. US Representatives Gregory W. Meeks (D-N.Y.), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Adam Smith (D-Wash.), Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee; and Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, issued the following statement in response to President Donald Trump’s ongoing policy failures and the threat they post to US national security.

“President Trump is undermining our national security and making the world a more dangerous place. He continues to demonstrate weakness and fecklessness at home and on the world stage.

From literally rolling out the red carpet for Vladimir Putin during his disastrous summit, to enacting steep tariffs against allies and partners, and driving India and other countries into the waiting arms of Russia, China, and North Korea, he is weakening America, not making it stronger.

“Since the start of his Administration, Donald Trump has parroted Putin’s talking points blaming President Zelensky and Ukraine for Russia’s unjust and brutal invasion.

By halting security cooperation funding for European countries, especially in the Baltic region, he is showing Putin and the world that the United States cannot be counted on. With each failure, Russia has ramped up its aggression, most recently sending drones into Polish airspace and signalling a dangerous escalation of his bid to rebuild the Russian empire.

“The fallout of Trump’s ineptitude has spread far beyond the war in Ukraine. Unilaterally deciding to carry out a lethal military strike on a speedboat off the coast of Venezuela without an authorization for the use of force; attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities without congressional authority or a plan for preventing future Iranian nuclear advancement; dispatching the military to Los Angeles and DC over the objections of local officials; and rebranding the Department of Defense to the Department of War without Congress passing legislation to do so shows there is no limit to his executive overreach and willingness to violate constitutional law and norms.

“With each desperate appeal to strongmen and dictators to rewrite history and nominate him for the Nobel Prize, Trump alienates allies and alliances crucial to global stability and our own national security and national defense.

Trump’s brazen disregard for the law and our coequal branches of government along with his bumbling attempts to exert strength by lashing out at those he views as insufficiently loyal at home and abroad have allowed existing conflicts around the world to worsen and new conflicts to arise.

“As the Democratic leaders of the Congress’ national security committees, we commit to pushing back on the Trump Administration’s reckless policies that not only undermine the United States’ international standing and fan the flames of conflicts around the globe, but also make America less secure.

We stand for returning the United States to a place that supports our international partners and allies, rejects autocratic and authoritarian regimes, respects the rule of law and the separation of powers at home, and prioritizes the prosperity and security of all Americans, not the ego of a fragile and weak President.”

(With Inputs from HFAC Release)