IA 

118TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. J. RES. 18 

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against those responsible 

for trafficking fentanyl or a fentanyl-related substance into the United 

States or carrying out other related activities that cause regional destabilization in the Western Hemisphere. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 12, 2023 

Mr. CRENSHAW (for himself and Mr. WALTZ) submitted the following joint 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

JOINT RESOLUTION 

To authorize the use of United States Armed Forces against 

those responsible for trafficking fentanyl or a fentanylrelated substance into the United States or carrying out 

other related activities that cause regional destabilization 

in the Western Hemisphere. 

Whereas armed cartels such as Sinaloa Cartel and the Jalisco 

New Generation Cartel are responsible for trafficking 

fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances into the United 

States; 

Whereas fentanyl and fentanyl-related substances kill approximately 80,000 Americans every year and is the leading cause of death for American men between the ages 

of 18 and 45; 


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•HJ 18 IH 

Whereas the Sinaloa Cartel and the Los Zetas Cartel, among 

others, consistently engage in violence against each other 

and other cartels, creating instability mere miles from the 

border of the United States; 

Whereas in 2015, the Sinaloa Cartel shot down a Mexican 

military helicopter with a high powered weapon; 

Whereas in 2019, when the Mexican National Guard arrested 

Ovidio Guzman, the son of Joaquin ‘‘el Chapo’’ Guzman, 

the Sinaloa Cartel attacked Mexican Government forces 

and forced them to release Ovidio Guzman; 

Whereas in 2022, a battle between cartels along the United 

States-Mexico border led to the closure of two ports of 

entry; 

Whereas in 2022, a grenade attack against the United States 

consulate in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico required employees to 

shelter in place; 

Whereas Mexican cartels regularly intimidate, assault, kidnap, torture, and kill Mexican law enforcement; and 

Whereas Mexican cartels have repeatedly fired at law enforcement and national guard posted along the United StatesMexico border: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives

2 of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This joint resolution may be cited as the ‘‘Authoriza5 tion for the Use of Military Force to Combat, Attack, Re6 sist, Target, Eliminate, and Limit Influence Resolution’’ 

7 or the ‘‘AUMF CARTEL Influence Resolution’’. 


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1 SEC. 2. AUTHORIZATION FOR USE OF UNITED STATES 

2 ARMED FORCES. 

3 (a) IN GENERAL.—The President is authorized to 

4 use all necessary and appropriate force against those for5 eign nations, foreign organizations, or foreign persons af6 filiated with foreign organizations that the President de7 termines— 

8 (1) have violated section 401(a)(1) of the Con9 trolled Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1)), or 

10 have attempted or conspired to violate such section 

11 401(a)(1) in violation of section 406 of such Act (21 

12 U.S.C. 846), with respect to trafficking into the 

13 United States fentanyl or a fentanyl-related sub14 stance; 

15 (2) have trafficked fentanyl or a fentanyl-re16 lated substance outside the United States with the 

17 intention of such fentanyl or fentanyl-related sub18 stance being trafficked into the United States in vio19 lation of section 401(a)(1) or 406 of the Controlled 

20 Substances Act (21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 846) as de21 scribed in paragraph (1); 

22 (3) have produced or trafficked a substance 

23 that is a precursor to fentanyl or a fentanyl-related 

24 substance with the intention of such precursor, 

25 fentanyl, or fentanyl-related substance being traf26 ficked into the United States in violation of section 


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1 401(a)(1) or 406 of the Controlled Substances Act 

2 (21 U.S.C. 841(a)(1), 846) as described in para3 graph (1); 

4 (4) have engaged in kinetic actions against 

5 United States Federal, State, local, tribal, or terri6 torial law enforcement personnel operating in the 

7 territory of the United States or abroad; 

8 (5) have engaged in kinetic actions against law 

9 enforcement, military, or other governmental per10 sonnel of a country with a common border with the 

11 United States or any other country in the Western 

12 Hemisphere; or 

13 (6) have used violence and intimidation for the 

14 purpose of establishing and controlling territory to 

15 be used for illicit means. 

16 (b) DEEMED ORGANIZATIONS.—Effective on the date 

17 of the enactment of this joint resolution, the following for18 eign organizations, and their members, shall be deemed 

19 to have been determined by the President under sub20 section (a) to meet the criteria described in such sub21 section: 

22 (1) The Sinaloa Cartel. 

23 (2) The Jalisco New Generation Cartel. 

24 (3) The Gulf Cartel. 

25 (4) The Los Zetas Cartel. 


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1 (5) The Northeast Cartel. 

2 (6) The Juarez Cartel. 

3 (7) The Tijuana Cartel. 

4 (8) The Beltran-Levya Cartel. 

5 (9) The La Familia Michoacana, also known as 

6 the Knight Templar Cartel. 

7 (c) LIMITATION.—The authority to use all necessary 

8 and appropriate force pursuant to subsection (a) against 

9 foreign organizations and foreign persons affiliated with 

10 foreign organizations described in subsection (a) shall 

11 apply only with respect to those organizations and persons 

12 located outside of the territory of the United States. 

13 (d) TERMINATION.—The authority to use all nec14 essary and appropriate force pursuant to subsection (a) 

15 shall terminate on the date that is 5 years after the date 

16 of the enactment of this joint resolution. 

17 (e) WAR POWERS RESOLUTION REQUIREMENTS.— 

18 (1) SPECIFIC STATUTORY AUTHORIZATION.— 

19 Consistent with section 8(a)(1) of the War Powers 

20 Resolution, Congress declares that this section is in21 tended to constitute specific statutory authorization 

22 within the meaning of section 5(b) of the War Pow23 ers Resolution. 


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1 (2) APPLICABILITY OF OTHER REQUIRE2 MENTS.—Nothing in this joint resolution supersedes 

3 any requirement of the War Powers Resolution. 

4 (f) DEFINITION.—In this section, the term ‘‘fentanyl5 related substance’’ means a fentanyl-related substance as 

6 described in section 1308.11(h)(30) of title 21, Code of 

7 Federal Regulations (or successor regulations). 

Æ 


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