WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawmakers are back on Capitol Hill this week — facing a packed agenda that now includes how Congress responds to the U.S. removal of Venezuela’s president, Nicolás Maduro.
Over the weekend, the U.S. carried out targeted strikes on Venezuela and forcibly removed its leader, bringing him and his wife to New York City, where they face a slew of charges.
This week, Congress will have to weigh its constitutional role in matters of war, foreign intervention and executive power.
The Senate is preparing to vote Thursday on a measure aimed at limiting the president’s war powers in Venezuela — a move signaling bipartisan concern over how far U.S. involvement could go.
On Monday, congressional leaders received a classified briefing on the operation and the administration’s plan for the region.
“We got no real answers. They don’t know where they’re headed,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. “I asked for some assurances that they were not planning operations in other countries, and I named a few of the ones you mentioned, including Colombia and Cuba, and I was very, very disappointed in their answer.”
“This is not a regime change. This is a demand for a change in behavior by a regime. The interim government is stood up now, and we are hopeful that they will be able to correct their action. They cannot participate with narco-terrorist and very dangerous international criminal organizations that harm and target Americans,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. “We have a way of persuasion because their oil exports have been seized. And I think that will bring the country to a new governance in very short order. We don’t expect troops on the ground. We don’t expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the new, the interim government to get that going.”
Lawmakers on both sides have largely praised the military for what most refer to as a very, very successful operation.
“Grateful for our U.S. military personnel that handled these orders in Venezuela with precision. I maintain that we have the strongest and most lethal military in the world — today proves that even more,” said Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa.
“This military operation to protect America’s interests was executed brilliantly by President Trump, his team and our brave military, and finally puts an end to Maduro’s illegitimate regime. An indicted narco-terrorist dictator, Maduro threatened American and Pennsylvania families. Justice will be served,” said Sen. Dave McCormick, R-Pa.
“Nicolás Maduro was a thuggish dictator who abused his power, his people, and refused to accept the results of elections. No one disputes that he should be held accountable for his crimes,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y.
However, many Democrats, including Sen. Gillibrand, have reservations about next steps. Many fear it could be the start of another “endless war.”
“The Constitution and international law are not optional. The administration must justify these actions to my fellow members on the Senate Armed Services Committee and explain to the American people how this was a justified act of war against a foreign country,” Gillibrand said in a statement after the operation.
“Despite all the talking points to the media — and by Cabinet members directly to senators last month — this was never about stopping the drug cartels. If it were, President Trump wouldn’t have pardoned drug kingpin Juan Orlando Hernández, and he’d be going after Mexican cartels that move the fentanyl that’s killed hundreds of thousands of Americans — not fishing boats full of cocaine or, ultimately, the Venezuelan oil fields,” said Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich. “We know that regime change isn’t as simple as removing one leader. While there are comparisons to the arrest of Manuel Noriega in Panama in 1989, let’s not forget that the U.S. sent in over 27,000 troops and lost 23 servicemembers in the process.”
On Wednesday, all Senators will be briefed on the current situation in Venezuela.
