Progressives to combat Trump’s ‘Donroe Doctrine’ at PanAmerican Congress

Progressive Delegation Heads to Montevideo to Confront Trump’s Latin America Strategy

Provpnadvice.com – A delegation of progressive House members and a cohort of left-leaning Democratic candidates are en route to Uruguay this week, where they plan to mount a direct challenge to what critics are calling the “Donroe Doctrine” — the Trump administration’s reimagined approach to hemispheric power. The group will gather in Montevideo for the PanAmerican Congress, a three-day assembly scheduled for August 21 through 23, aimed at coordinating a progressive counterweight to the wave of right-wing governments now governing much of Latin America.

The Doctrine Under Fire

The term “Donroe Doctrine” fuses Donald Trump’s name with the Monroe Doctrine, the 19th-century U.S. policy that asserted American dominance over the Western Hemisphere. The current administration frames its updated strategy as a cooperative effort with Latin American nations to fight organized crime, stem irregular migration, and limit Chinese influence in the region. Progressive lawmakers, however, argue the framework strips away human-rights protections, deploys military force against suspected drug traffickers in Caribbean waters, and converts trade tariffs into instruments of political coercion. They also fault the administration for meddling in sovereign elections and for maintaining a blockade against Cuba intended to compel regime change — a measure they contend deepens everyday suffering for Cuban citizens.

Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), who is leading the congressional contingent to Montevideo, laid out the delegation’s purpose in a written statement:

“We need to build a durable and lasting coalition of progressives that can take on the right-wing forces and answer them with the necessary call of the people.”

She added that the gathering represents “a critically important opportunity to build solidarity in the fight against interventionism and democratic backsliding, and to learn how the United States can be a partner in those efforts.”

A Formal Rebuke to the Secretary of State

On Friday, Jayapal dispatched a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio — shared exclusively with The Hill — that takes aim at what she labels the “Trump corollary” to the Monroe Doctrine. Joined by ten fellow House colleagues, she wrote:

“Taken together, the interventions conducted under the banner of the ‘Donroe’ 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.”

The letter’s signatories include Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (D-Ill.), who will accompany Jayapal to the congress. The document lands at a moment when right-wing parties have seized power in several of Latin America’s largest economies, sharpening the stakes for any organized progressive response.

A Broader Progressive Field

Beyond sitting members of Congress, the Montevideo gathering draws a slate of progressive and democratic-socialist candidates who have made headlines by unseating traditional and centrist Democrats in primary contests. Among them are three members of the Democratic Socialists of America: Claire Valdez, campaigning for the House seat in New York’s 7th District; Darializa Avila Chevalier, seeking New York’s 13th District; and Chris Rabb, running in Pennsylvania’s 3rd District. Also in attendance is progressive Democratic candidate Dr. Adam Hamawy, contesting New Jersey’s 12th District.

Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, will not travel to the summit but issued a statement of support, characterizing the mission as one of building a coalition “pushing back against right-wing radicalization, tackling the climate crisis and addressing our joint economic crisis.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will deliver remarks virtually. In a statement, the Vermont independent described the congress’s purpose as uniting progressive voices across the hemisphere to combat “oligarchy, authoritarianism and greed.”

Colombia’s Election as a Flashpoint

The congress will convene more than 150 lawmakers from across the hemisphere, and its timing is no accident. Colombia’s June presidential election has become a focal point of debate over U.S. electoral interference. Trump publicly endorsed conservative outsider Abelardo de la Espriella, who narrowly edged out progressive candidate Iván Cepeda. Former Colombian president Ernesto Samper, who will attend the summit, pointedly criticized the intervention:

“Therefore, this hegemonic aggression that the region is facing deserves a progressive and sensible response.”

Samper went further, warning that Latin America’s rightward turn is “leading us toward a form of neofascism, much more complex than what we had before.” He accused Trump of rallying like-minded candidates across the region in ways that promote “autocratic and authoritarian pretensions.”

Origins and Implications

The PanAmerican Congress was established in 2024 with the explicit goal of assembling progressive leaders from North America, South America, and the Caribbean into a coordinated bloc capable of countering the ascendancy of far-right governments. Those governments, critics note, have aligned themselves with Trump’s hard-line posture on drug trafficking and migration while simultaneously rolling back democratic norms and human-rights protections in their own countries.

For the delegation bound for Montevideo, the congress is less a symbolic gesture than a working session: a venue where legislators, candidates, and regional leaders can map out joint positions on trade, migration, climate, and electoral integrity. The underlying premise is that a fragmented hemisphere, divided by partisan loyalties to Washington, will find itself increasingly vulnerable to the very interventions the congress seeks to oppose.