INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Two members of Indiana’s congressional delegation told News 8 illegal drug trafficking continues to pose a major national security threat.

In separate interviews for Sunday’s “All INdiana Politics,” Sen. Jim Banks, a Republican who serves on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and Rep. André Carson, a Democrat who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, weighed in on the Trump administration’s recent strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and in the Pacific Ocean. Some members of Congress have said President Donald Trump should seek congressional authorization for the strikes. Banks said Trump has all the authority he needs under Article II of the U.S. Constitution. He said the death toll drugs take every year means smuggling them into the United States amounts to an act of war.

“Fentanyl is the leading cause of death of Americans of working age in our country,” Banks said. “Even though we’ve largely secured the border, you have these drug cartels, narcoterrorists, Venezuela, Colombia, Central America, South America, that are flooding our country with more drugs.”

Carson stopped short of criticizing the boat strikes, as some of his Democratic colleagues have, but said U.S. forces must take care to ensure it’s hitting the right targets. He said the U.S. should work with its partners in Central America and South America to rein in the epidemic.

“What I don’t want to do is to use this as a political talking point where there isn’t any substantive change of moving the mark, as it were,” Carson said. “Our partners in the Global South must also be held accountable to make sure they’re weeding out corrupt elements in their administration and they’re not in the pocket of these cartels.”

Trump has revealed the CIA is operating in Venezuela against that country’s dictator, Nicolas Maduro. Banks said he doesn’t believe that means the Trump administration is trying to topple the Maduro regime. Banks said the CIA operates all over the world, and could play a role in identifying where drugs being smuggled into the United States are coming from.

News 8 also asked both Banks and Carson about the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza. Both said security for the region depends on the ceasefire holding. Banks said based on what he has been told, Hamas’ recent ceasefire violation was committed by people acting on their own, not as part of a concerted effort. He said the key to keeping the ceasefire deal in place is for Hamas to disarm and to relinquish control of the Gaza Strip.

“If they don’t disarm themselves, then they will be disarmed and America will stand with Israel to do whatever it takes to keep Israel safe and protect themselves,” Banks said.

Carson said he hopes the parties to the ceasefire can rein in extremist elements within both Gaza and Israel.

“My hope is that we can uphold the terms of the agreement and establish a Palestinian state that is rooted in self-determination and an ability to care for its citizenry, to thrive, and to live securely,” Carson said.

Both Banks and Carson said they did not have any new information the could share about the whereabouts of the remains of two American-Israelis still in Gaza, Itay Chen, and Omer Neutra. Both men were serving in the Israel Defense Forces and were killed during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. Carson said he plans to raise the question again in his capacity as a member of the House Intelligence Committee.

“All INdiana Politics” airs at 9:30 a.m. Sundays on WISH-TV.