The Dispute Index

Adam Smith

Portrait of Adam Smith
U.S. House Office of Photography

United States Representative and Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Washington's 9th district.

U.S. Representative
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What we have documented

We have documented statements by Adam Smith on 2026 Midterm Elections, Criminal Justice Policy, and Drug Policy, among other topics. Read the quotations, original sources and related cases below.

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Topics in this coverage

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Statements by Adam Smith

Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: U.S. representative for Washington's 9th District and ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, interviewed by TIME

Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, tells TIME he now supports impeaching President Trump and is inclined to back proceedings against Hegseth. He says some Republicans who would not vote to impeach Trump would support impeaching Hegseth.

“There are Republicans who would support impeaching Hegseth who might not support doing it to Trump”
Open the original interview (opens in a new tab)TIME: Why a Top House Democrat Now Supports Impeaching Trump and HegsethParagraphs on Rep. Adam Smith's position and the section on impeaching Cabinet officers
Why we used this label

On whether the House should impeach Hegseth, TIME reports that Smith is inclined to back proceedings against him, and Smith argues that an impeachment of Hegseth could win Republican votes. He leans toward impeachment without a firm commitment.

Read statementFull case: Should Pete Hegseth be impeached?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, in a joint statement with Rep. Chrissy Houlahan as reported by Mediaite

Condemned

Statement summary

Rep. Adam Smith, Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a joint statement with Rep. Chrissy Houlahan that there was no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude and that requiring Congress to step in to rectify it was an embarrassment for the Department.

“There is no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude. While we take seriously our duty to serve as the voice of the American people and hold the executive branch accountable as a co-equal branch of government, requiring Congress to step in to rectify such an egregious error is an embarrassment for the Department”
Open source (opens in a new tab)Pentagon Quietly Raises Number of Troop Deaths in Iran, After Hegseth Slammed Reporting Questioning the Official Death Toll as 'DISGUSTING'Closing paragraphs quoting the joint statement from Reps. Adam Smith and Chrissy Houlahan.
Why we used this label

The case asks whether the Pentagon's public count of U.S. military deaths in the Iran war is complete. In a joint statement with Houlahan after the count rose to 21, Smith says there is "no excuse for a mistake of this magnitude" and calls it "an embarrassment for the Department" that Congress had to step in, which criticizes the Pentagon's accounting, so we labeled it Condemned. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional; it loses because the quoted passage criticizes the error without softening it.

Read statementFull case: Is the Pentagon's public count of U.S. military deaths in the Iran war complete?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: Ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee

Condemned

Statement summary

Smith calls the planned livestream disturbing and says it makes a mockery of the legal system.

“There is a reason why we treat the meting out of justice with the seriousness it demands.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)Adam Smith responds to Hegseth's livestream announcement · Adam SmithFull statement
Why we used this label

He rejects broadcasting the execution on rule-of-law grounds.

Read statementFull case: Should Pete Hegseth livestream Nidal Hasan's execution?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: U.S. representative for Washington's 9th district, in an emailed statement from his office

Mixed or conditional

Statement summary

Rep. Adam Smith said in a statement sent by his office that unregulated police use of automated license plate readers poses a real risk to security and privacy, citing reports of warrantless use by federal agencies including ICE, officers tracking current and former partners, and false flags leading to wrongful arrests. He said use of the technology should be suspended until thoughtful federal safeguards are in place, and that legitimate investigations require guardrails like warrants.

“Notably, false flags from the system have already led to wrongful arrests and long detentions. The use of these technologies should be suspended until thoughtful federal safeguards are in place.”
Read the full email
Everyone deserves to live in a safe community, but the unregulated use of technologies including ALPRs by law enforcement poses a real risk to the security and privacy of our communities. I am deeply concerned by reports that federal agencies, including ICE, use data from ALPRs without a warrant to further their climate of fear, confrontation and violence. There are also extremely troubling reports that law enforcement officials have misused the database to track current and former partners. Notably, false flags from the system have already led to wrongful arrests and long detentions. The use of these technologies should be suspended until thoughtful federal safeguards are in place. Legitimate investigations require guardrails, like warrants, for a reason. This prevents frivolous and unethical inquires that breach privacy and prevents law enforcement from acting in a manner similar the Trump Administration’s signature of targeting individuals for investigation without evidence they did anything wrong. We need to strengthen our communities and local governments, so they are empowered to address crime at a local level. But law enforcement must operate with clear guardrails, transparency, and real accountability. Congress has an obligation to uphold privacy and civil liberties. As technology continues to advance, I will continue working in the House to protect and expand protections for privacy.
Emailed statement from Rep. Adam Smith's office to Dispute Index on license plate readersEmailed statement attributed to Rep. Adam Smith, sent by Press Secretary Erin Diehl, October 2, 2026.
Why we used this label

The reference point is whether networked license-plate reader systems such as Flock should exist and be used. Smith calls for suspending use until federal safeguards, such as warrant requirements, are in place, so his position depends on those safeguards rather than rejecting the systems outright. We labeled it Mixed or conditional with the Pause or moratorium step.

Read statementFull case: Should Flock-style license-plate surveillance networks exist?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: Member of the United States Congress

Condemned

Statement summary

Rep. Adam Smith characterized ICE as violently targeting people without transparency or accountability and called for a full investigation of the Garces Perez shooting.

“ICE continues to violently target individuals in this country, without any transparency or accountability. We need a full investigation into the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and answers before this rogue police force continues to target more people in our country's streets.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Rep. Adam Smith calls for a full investigation of the Garces Perez shooting · Adam SmithFull X post, published September 21, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. UTC
Why we used this label

On whether ICE's use of force should be condemned or condoned, Smith directly condemns it: he says ICE "continues to violently target individuals in this country, without any transparency or accountability" and calls it a "rogue police force" — an express evaluation that the force used was wrongful.

Read statementFull case: Should ICE's use of force in the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez be condemned or condoned?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: Member of the United States Congress

Condemned

Statement summary

Rep. Adam Smith called for a full investigation and answers, saying ICE was targeting people violently without transparency or accountability.

“ICE continues to violently target individuals in this country, without any transparency or accountability. We need a full investigation into the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and answers before this rogue police force continues to target more people in our country's streets.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)Rep. Adam Smith calls for a full investigation of the Garces Perez shooting · Adam SmithFull X post, published September 21, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. UTC
Why we used this label

On whether DHS should lead its own investigation, Smith rejects that arrangement: he says ICE acts "without any transparency or accountability", calls it a "rogue police force", and demands "a full investigation into the shooting of Wilber Rafael Garces Perez and answers" — an explicit call for outside scrutiny rather than a DHS-led inquiry.

Read statementFull case: Should DHS lead the investigation of the ICE shooting of a delivery driver in Austin?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee and U.S. Representative for Washington's 9th District, in a statement posted on the committee Democrats' official X account

Condemned

Statement summary

In a statement posted on the House Armed Services Committee Democrats' X account on Sept. 18, Ranking Member Adam Smith says he is aware of reports that the number of service members who died in operations related to the Iran war "may be higher" than the Defense Department has reported. He says the department owes Congress and the public more transparency and that, whether the earlier DCAS figures resulted from "a technical error, efforts to obfuscate the true toll, or something else," it is "inexcusable and must be fixed."

“I am aware of reports that the actual number of U.S. service members who have died while supporting operations related to Trump's war against Iran may be higher than previously reported by the Department of Defense. Whether these additional deaths were the direct result of hostile fire or were non-combat related, they died while serving our country and each loss is a tragedy. The Department of Defense owes it to Congress and the American public to be more transparent about the impacts and true cost of this war. Ensuring proper reporting to Congress and the public through the Defense Casualty Analysis Systems (DCAS) is critical. Whether the figures previously cited in DCAS were the result of a technical error, efforts to obfuscate the true toll, or something else—it is inexcusable and must be fixed.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)House Armed Services Democrats on X: statement of Ranking Member Adam Smith on reports of additional U.S. military deaths · House Armed Services DemocratsFull post text (long-form post, 19:50:49 UTC = 3:50 p.m. EDT), both paragraphs; the attached quote card names Rep. Adam Smith, Ranking Member
Why we used this label

Smith says the number of deaths in operations related to the Iran war "may be higher" than the Defense Department reported, that the department owes Congress and the public more transparency, and that the earlier DCAS figures are "inexcusable and must be fixed" whatever their cause, which criticizes the accounting and disclosure without asserting a specific count. The closest competing label is Mixed or conditional, because he hedges on the reported number and leaves the cause open. That loses because the hedge concerns the size of the shortfall and its cause, while the criticism is stated for every cause, including a technical error, and does not turn on an unresolved condition.

Read statementFull case: Is the Pentagon's public count of U.S. military deaths in the Iran war complete?
Portrait of Adam Smith

Adam Smith

Role at the time: U.S. Representative, Washington 9th district

Condemned

Statement summary

Adam Smith voted Yea on H.Con.Res. 93, the House resolution directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.

“On Agreeing to the Resolution: Directing the President, pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution, to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran.”
Read the official statement (opens in a new tab)U.S. House Roll Call Vote 307: H.Con.Res. 93, Iran War Powers Resolution (agreed to, 220-204)
Why we used this label

A yea vote supported directing the President to remove U.S. Armed Forces from hostilities with Iran, opposing continued U.S. involvement in the war without congressional authorization.

Read statementFull case: Do they support the war in Iran?
Older statements

A participant is a subject of the case. A speaker has a statement documented in it. A commentator has an opinion or editorial documented in it.

Case

Do they support the war in Iran?

Relationship to this case: Speaker

An issue tracker recording where members of Congress and 2026 midterm candidates stand on the unauthorized Iran war, based on their votes on war-powers resolutions, campaign statements, and public remarks.

Iran WarU.S. PoliticsUpdated