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Pramila Jayapal at the PanAmerican Congress

The Trump administration’s “Donroe” Doctrine promotes a flawed and failed policy of US intervention in the hemisphere.

Good morning. Buenos días. Bom dia.

I’m Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal, representing the Seventh Congressional District in Washington State and a proud immigrant: the first and only Indian American woman to serve in the House of Representatives and one of only two dozen naturalized citizens in Congress. I, and my colleague Representative Chuy Garcia from Illinois, are so honored to stand with you at the opening of this PanAmerican Congress.

Many of you have traveled great distances, some at personal risk, because you know how urgent this moment is. Thank you for everything you are doing to lift up and fight for working people and poor people in your countries and across the hemisphere.

We all face similar forms of opposition to our progress, from authoritarians and dictators trampling on human rights and international laws, to misinformation and disinformation designed to undermine the free and fair elections of our countries, to the growing inequality and the capture of our economies by billionaires and giant corporations that throttle our peoples’ human rights, dignity, and futures.

This is exactly why the PanAmerican Congress is so important at this moment. The challenges we face require a shared hemispheric response, a response based on listening and learning from each other, on collaboration, the rule of law, and respect for sovereignty; and on shared strategies to take on the growing threat of fascism and right-wing actors in all our countries.

The Trump administration’s catastrophic reframing of the Monroe Doctrine in a new and super-sized vanity ploy called the Donroe Doctrine reasserts the failed and flawed concept of US dominance in the hemisphere. It dangerously attempts to justify US intervention, economic coercion, military pressure, and unilateral operations, often in violation of our own US Constitution and international law.

Just last week, we made our opposition to this doctrine clear in a letter that I led, with 10 of my colleagues, including Representative Garcia and Senator Bernie Sanders, demanding answers from Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the use and scope of these efforts—all completely unauthorized by Congress—and incredibly........

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