Reject A Bill That Lets The President Kill Without Trial

Reject a Bill That Lets the President Kill by Personal Decree On September 19, 2025, The New York Times reported in its article “Draft Bill Would Authorize Trump to Kill People He Deems Narco-Terrorists” (NYT, Sept. 19, 2025) that a draft law is circulating inside the executive branch. This proposal would let the president personally decide who counts as a “narco-terrorist” and then order their killing - no trial, no judge, no jury. It even allows military attacks on countries accused of “helping” or “harboring” these people. In plain terms, it gives one person the power to declare enemies and take lives, without any outside review. Defend Constitutional Checks and Balances Our Constitution was written to prevent exactly this kind of unchecked power. Only Congress can authorize war. Every person is guaranteed due process before punishment. This bill cuts both Congress and the courts out of the picture, handing life-and-death authority to a single individual. That is not democracy - it is executive rule by decree. Protect Innocent People From Deadly Mistakes Intelligence is not perfect. People can be wrongly labeled. If the president can kill based only on designation, innocent people - neighbors, travelers, or aid workers - could die without ever seeing a courtroom. Even U.S. citizens could be targeted. The draft bill does not clearly limit its reach to foreign battlefields, so the same logic could be used inside the United States. That would mean American citizens, on American soil, could be executed without trial. Prevent International Chaos and Retaliation Striking people inside foreign countries without consent would break international law, alienate allies, and invite retaliation. It would weaken cooperation against real crime and drug trafficking. Instead of strengthening security, it would destabilize regions and put both civilians and U.S. service members at greater risk. Stop the Slide Toward Authoritarian Power Once this power is created, it will not disappear. Future presidents could expand it far beyond drug cartels. Political opponents, activists, or dissidents could all be branded as threats. A law meant to fight crime could turn into a tool of authoritarian control. Insist on Safeguards or Reject It Entirely If Congress considers any new authority to use force, it must include strict definitions, court review, clear geographic limits, time limits, and public reporting. Without those protections, this draft bill should be rejected outright. Giving the president unilateral power to kill - at home or abroad - would be unconstitutional, unsafe, and profoundly un-American.