{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://jayapal.house.gov/2026/08/17/jayapal-demands-answers-on-so-called-donroe-doctrine-policies-that-risk-destabilizing-the-western-hemisphere/", "Jayapal Demands Answers on So-Called \u201cDonroe\u201d Doctrine Policies that Risk Destabilizing the Western Hemisphere", "2026-08-17", "2026", "2026-08", "Democrat", "House", "WA", "Pramila Jayapal", "J000298", "jayapal.house.gov", "jayapal", "https://jayapal.house.gov/category/press-releases/", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 U.S. Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), a Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, is calling on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to answer for the regional implications of the \u201cTrump Corollary\u201d to the Monroe Doctrine, and ground U.S. foreign policy toward the Western Hemisphere on the principles of mutual respect and advancement of human rights.\n\n\u201cAs Members of Congress, we are asked to accept that this doctrine now governs U.S. policy toward every nation in the Western Hemisphere \u2014 yet we still lack the basic information needed to understand what it means in practice, what authorities it assumes, and what human costs this new posture has already claimed in communities across the Americas,\u201d wrote the Members. \u201cTaken together, the interventions conducted under the banner of the \u2018Donroe\u2019 Doctrine appear to follow a partisan playbook: the endorsement of favored candidates, the placement of political allies, the weaponization of tariffs and sanctions, and, where those fail, the application of direct military force. These are tactics that destabilize our hemisphere and endanger our neighbors\u201d\n\nThe \u201cDonroe\u201d Doctrine appears to have three main facets:\n\nLethal force without Congressional authorization or due process: Since September 2025, the U.S. military has carried out over five dozen lethal boat strikes, killing well over 200 people with no due process.\n\nEconomic coercion as a form of collective punishment: In January, the President imposed what amounts to a full blockade on fuel shipments to the island. Elsewhere, sanctions and tariffs have been used to shield a political ally from prosecution and to pressure an electorate before it votes.\n\nInterference in the democratic life of sovereign nations: Across the hemisphere, the administration has openly intervened in sovereign electoral processes, including in Honduras and Colombia.\n\nJayapal is leading a Congressional Delegation to the Panamerican Congress, where hemispheric partners will discuss alternative visions for security and prosperity in the Western Hemisphere rooted in respect for the sovereignty of countries across the region, international law, and the needs of poor and working-class communities.\n\nThe letter was also signed by Representatives Greg Casar (TX-35), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Jes\u00fas G. \u201cChuy\u201d Garc\u00eda (IL-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Delia C. Ramirez (IL-03), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez (NY-07), and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT).\n\nThe full text of the letter can be read here.", 1, "2026-08-18T05:27:41Z", "2026-08-18T05:29:06Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://jayapal.house.gov/2026/08/17/jayapal-demands-answers-on-so-called-donroe-doctrine-policies-that-risk-destabilizing-the-western-hemisphere/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.9344331920146942, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}