Monitoring democratic institutions through public records
Executive Actions — Week of Sep 8, 2025
Tracking presidential actions and new regulations. Government actions that bypass normal legislative or regulatory processes, concentrate decision-making authority, or expand executive power beyond established norms.
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This week, a U.S. senator described a military strike ordered by the President that killed 11 people on a boat in the Caribbean — carried out, according to Senator Jack Reed, without congressional authorization, without evidence of self-defense, and without legally required notifications to Congress. In his floor speech, Reed detailed what he says were violations of multiple laws requiring the President to inform Congress before or shortly after using military force, including the War Powers Resolution. Venezuela reportedly placed its military on high alert in response.
This might matter because the Constitution gives Congress — not the President alone — the authority to decide when the country goes to war. If a president can order lethal strikes killing nearly a dozen people without presenting legal justification or notifying Congress as required by law, it could weaken one of the most important checks on presidential power. Reed described the situation as "one miscalculation away from a shooting war no one in this Chamber has authorized."
It is possible the administration has classified intelligence justifying the strike that hasn't been shared publicly yet, and that ongoing congressional briefings will address the notification concerns. Past administrations have also conducted counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean with varying levels of congressional involvement. However, the scale of this strike — 11 people killed by what Reed describes as a drone or attack helicopter, with no apparent attempt to stop the vessel first — goes beyond typical interdiction operations.
Separately, Senator Peters opposed the nomination of Robert Law to a senior DHS strategy position, arguing that Law has dismissed cybersecurity, election security, and disaster management as outside DHS's proper mission. If confirmed to oversee departmental strategy, this could affect agencies like FEMA and CISA that protect communities during disasters and defend election infrastructure. That said, nominees routinely face sharp criticism from the opposing party, and a nominee's past statements don't always predict how they'll govern once confirmed.
Limitations: This analysis is based on statements by opposition-party senators, not independently verified facts. The administration's full legal rationale for the Caribbean strike is not publicly available.