State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Newsmax on Friday that the Trump administration remains focused on stopping Venezuelan narcoterrorists and cutting off the flow of drugs into the United States.
Pigott made the remarks one day after the Senate voted to advance a war powers measure aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority to take potential military action.
"We had a situation before the president took office with a completely open border," Pigott told "National Report," adding that "hundreds of thousands of Americans were being poisoned every single year by narcoterrorists."
He said the administration is now targeting those networks and pledged the president "is going to stop narcoterrorists from poisoning the American people."
Pigott cited "a targeted law enforcement operation in Venezuela" aimed at apprehending an indicted figure.
The administration, he added, is using "levers that can be used to see Venezuela go in the direction we want to see, always advancing our national interests."
The administration is also continuing pressure on Venezuelan oil shipments, Pigott said, after U.S. forces seized another sanctioned tanker in the Caribbean waters.
He pointed to what Secretary of State Marco Rubio has described as a quarantine on Venezuelan oil, calling it one of the tools Washington is using to shape the country's trajectory.
"We are going to enforce our law. We're going to enforce our sanctions policy," Pigott said, declining to discuss whether the United States is pursuing additional seizures.
Pigott also addressed Trump's renewed push to bring Greenland under U.S. control, arguing the issue is driven by security concerns in the Arctic and strategic competition.
"We need it for our national security," Pigott said. "The security of the Arctic is essential to national security of the United States," he added, pointing as well to Greenland's "critical minerals and otherwise."
Pigott said the United States remains diplomatically engaged to address those concerns, but he echoed the president's view about the desired outcome.
"As the president outlined, the best way to do that would be for the United States to have Greenland," Pigott said.
GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:
NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!
Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.
You need to watch NEWSMAX today.
Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!
Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now
BEST OFFER:
Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.
Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.
Even get Jon Voight's special series and President Trump's comedy programs and much more!
Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.
Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!
Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.