Sen. Lindsey Graham said on CBS’ Face the Nation that land strikes against drug cartels in Venezuela and Colombia are a “real possibility” and argued President Donald Trump could order them without congressional approval, as the Pentagon moves the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group toward Latin America.
Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday, October 26, 2025, said he supports expanding U.S. military operations against drug cartels in South America “from the sea to the land,” asserting that President Donald Trump has the authority to do so without a congressional vote. The South Carolina Republican made the remarks on CBS’ Face the Nation and said Trump plans to brief lawmakers after he returns from a trip to Asia later this week, according to the program’s transcript.
Graham called land strikes “a real possibility,” adding that Trump views Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro—who faces U.S. narcoterrorism and drug-trafficking charges—as an indicted drug trafficker and a threat to the United States. He cited past interventions in Panama under President George H.W. Bush and in Grenada under President Ronald Reagan as precedent. (In its transcript, CBS noted Graham mistakenly said “Ortega” when referring to Panama and that the 1989 invasion removed Manuel Noriega.)
The senator’s comments follow a weeks-long campaign of U.S. strikes on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean and, more recently, the eastern Pacific. The Pentagon said the 10th such strike occurred on Friday, bringing the death toll from these operations to at least 40 people; several outlets place the figure at 43. U.S. officials have said one recent incident involved a narco‑submersible in the Pacific. Critics, including some Republicans, have questioned the legal basis for lethal force against suspected traffickers at sea and any expansion to land targets, while Graham countered that the president has sufficient Article II authority.
Separately, the Pentagon has ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, a move officials say will bolster the ability to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors in the Western Hemisphere. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell announced the deployment on X, saying the enhanced presence would help disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade transnational criminal organizations. The Ford—America’s newest and most advanced aircraft carrier—is currently repositioning from Europe toward the Caribbean, according to multiple reports.
Graham emphasized that he supports the White House’s approach and rejected accusations that the maritime strikes amount to unlawful killings. “We’re not committing murder; we’re protecting our nation,” he said on Face the Nation, while adding that Congress will be briefed on potential next steps.