Too many people on social media are saying that the Democrats are all falling in line with Trump’s Venezuelan misadventure. That’s not true.
I saw someone write on Facebook: “Only a short matter of time before we see establishment liberals falling all over themselves to praise this action.” I don’t think this is correct.
Here is Pete Buttigieg: “It’s an old and obvious pattern. An unpopular president – failing on the economy and losing his grip on power at home – decides to launch a war for regime change abroad. The American people don’t want to “run” a foreign country while our leaders fail to improve life in this one.”
I’ve looked to see what Democratic senators are saying on X/Twitter. One Democratic senator has supported the attack – John Fetterman, who is far away from being an establishment liberal.
Here’s what other Democratic senators are saying. Note that this is an incomplete list, because I’m sure that several more have added statements since I started looking.
Senator Chuck Schumer: “Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. But launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.” And: “The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans. The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.”
Senator Mark Warner: “Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike. If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.”
Senator Van Hollen: “The American people did not ask for this act of war to bring about regime change in Venezuela – nor did Congress authorize it…. This war is a grave abuse of power by the President.”
Senator Adam Schiff: “Nicolás Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela, terrorizing and oppressing its people for far too long and forcing many to leave the country. But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America’s standing on the world stage and risks our adversaries mirroring this brazen illegal escalation. For months, as the Trump administration massed American servicemembers and firepower in the Caribbean, and used military force to destroy vessels and kill those on board, I and others in the Senate forced bipartisan votes to stop the illegal misuse of our armed forces. We warned that the true motive was not drugs, but regime change in an oil-rich nation. Despite all of the administration’s false denials, those motivations are now clear. Acting without Congressional approval or the buy-in of the public, Trump risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them. And in conjunction with his continued saber-rattling around the world and dropping approval ratings at home, the American people should be concerned that this is not the last time he will break that promise.The President has vowed that this is not the end of our engagement in Venezuela, saying that ‘we’ll be involved in it very much.’ Congress must bring up a new War Powers Resolution and reassert its power to authorize force or to refuse to do so. We must speak for the American people who profoundly reject being dragged into new wars.”
Senator Alex Padilla: “Let’s be absolutely clear: Trump’s military action in Venezuela is unlawful without approval from Congress. There’s no clear objective, no endgame, and no plan for what comes next. This is a dangerous recipe for chaos in the region. And while he escalates conflicts abroad, Trump is ignoring real crises at home — from rising health care costs to disaster recovery. This isn’t leadership.”
Senator Brian Schatz: “We have no vital national interests in Venezuela to justify war. We should have learned not to stumble into another stupid adventure by now. And he’s not even bothering to tell the American public what the hell is going on.”
Senator Ed Markey: “Trump must be held to account for this reckless, illegal act of war.”
Senator Maggie Hassan: “The people of New Hampshire do not want to be dragged into another foreign war, especially by a President who has failed to articulate a clear strategy or purpose for attacking a sovereign nation and, in so doing, destabilizing much of the Western Hemisphere and calling into question our country’s commitment to a rules-based international order.”
Senator Chris Murphy: “President Trump thinks he is above the law. He steals from taxpayers. He thumbs his nose at the law. And now, he is starting an illegal war with Venezuela that Americans didn’t ask for and has nothing to do with our security.”
Senator Richard Blumenthal: “If we’re starting another endless war, with no clear national security strategy or need, count me out. Maduro is a cruel criminal dictator, but President Trump has never sought approval from Congress for war as the Constitution requires—& our military deserves.”
Senator Andy Kim: “Americans across the political spectrum must reject Trump’s plan for the U.S. to “run the country” of Venezuela. This is a disastrous plan. We have seen this show before and it did not end well.”
Senator Tim Kaine: “President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro – however terrible he is – is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere.”
Senator Chris Coons: “There is no reason to believe that Americans are more secure today after this morning’s raid in Caracas than they were yesterday. I will not mourn Maduro’s removal from power, but the Trump administration owes our country transparency and a clear strategy.”
Senator Mazie Hirono. [Retweeted Chris Coons’s message.]
Senator Mark Kelly. “The President of the United States just overthrew a foreign ruler and explained to the American people that this is about taking control of the oil reserves of a foreign nation. He said that the U.S. will “run the country” until a proper transition can take place and went right into how US oil companies will benefit from this takeover. He doesn’t understand the risks and costs involved with these poorly thought-out decisions that don’t make Americans any safer today than they were yesterday.”
Senator Ruben Gallego. “I said Trump wanted to start a war, and now he’s saying we’re going to occupy Venezuela. Enough. I authored a War Powers Resolution to hold the Trump administration accountable for its illegal actions in Venezuela. I’m going to force a vote. Only Congress has the authority to take this country to war.”
Senator Tammy Duckworth: “Donald Trump’s reckless and unconstitutional operations in Venezuela—including this morning’s arrest of a foreign leader—are not about enforcing law and order because if they were, he wouldn’t hide them from Congress. Maduro was unquestionably a bad actor, but no President has the authority to unilaterally decide to use force to topple a government, thrusting us and the region into uncertainty without justification, a defined end-state or a real plan for preventing the instability that could come next. His actions continue putting American troops, personnel and citizens at risk both in the region and around the globe. None of that serves our nation’s interests.”
Senator Amy Klobuchar: “I have strongly opposed sending American forces into harm’s way in Venezuela without authorization from Congress. We should not put Americans at risk in this way without careful deliberation among the people’s elected representatives. Wars for regime change can lead to unintended consequences. Right now we need a full briefing on how to avoid spiraling instability, and a vote to stop this unauthorized action from continuing.”
Senator Martin Heinrich: “Let’s be clear, President Trump has acted without any legal authorization from Congress. His “capture” of Maduro – no matter how terrible a leader Maduro is – breaks our nation’s laws, tarnishes our global leadership, puts Americans in Venezuela and our Armed Forces at risk, and sets an extremely dangerous precedent. Americans want lower costs, transparency, and justice — not endless armed conflicts and regime change wars. President Trump’s actions do not have the consent of the American people and should be condemned by Congress.”
Senator Ben Ray Luján: “Maduro was an oppressive, authoritarian ruler who devastated Venezuela and destabilized the greater region. Further plunging the southern hemisphere into chaos with no clear path toward peace and stability is not the answer. There is no reason President Trump can give the American people how last night’s actions make us safer and don’t lead to another illegal, unnecessary war. More importantly, this administration is setting a dangerous precedent for our own adversaries to use against Americans and our allies. We cannot stand on the world stage advocating for democracy and rule of law when we act like thugs. Congress cannot endorse the illegal actions of this administration that put our men and women in uniform in danger.”
Senator Jacky Rosen: “While Nicolas Maduro was an illegitimate and brutal dictator – and his ouster will be greeted with celebration by Venezuelans who were forced to endure horrific conditions under his regime – the Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to declare war and authorize the use of military force in other nations, especially when there is no imminent threat to U.S. national security that requires immediate presidential action. This illegal regime change operation won’t make our country safer and risks destabilizing the region, dragging us into additional military conflicts, and increasing the amount of immigrants seeking refuge at our border. The decision to jeopardize the safety of our brave men and women in this way is a heavy responsibility that cannot be made without the input of the American people through their representatives in Congress. The Trump Administration needs to be held accountable and explain why it lied to us when it claimed in its briefings that regime change wasn’t the U.S. goal in Venezuela. Congress must also pass Senator Tim Kaine’s bipartisan War Powers Resolution next week to prohibit Donald Trump from carrying out additional strikes without our input.”
Senator Michael Bennet: “As I have long said, Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate, brutal leader who lost, and then stole, the 2024 elections. Nevertheless, as a member of the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee, I have seen no evidence justifying the administration acting alone without Congressional authorization. I certainly have seen no justification for putting U.S. troops on the ground to “run the country” or rebuild and exploit Venezuela’s oil infrastructure for our own economic purposes…. the Trump administration’s trampling of our Constitution and unauthorized military action serve only to weaken U.S. democracy and make the world more dangerous. Congress must reassert its role in these decisions to prevent the President from his continued irresponsible conduct.”
Senator John Hickenlooper: “In disregard for the Constitution, President Trump launched a war in Venezuela without congressional authorization. A president pursuing regime change abroad creates an unnecessary conflict and puts American service members directly in harm’s way. American families are already struggling. This escalation shows that the President is willing to go great lengths to distract from the serious problems not being addressed here at home.”
I guess it stands to reason that members of congress would be upset that he lied to them and failed to even let the congressional leadership know what they were planning. But while it’s certainly important that he didn’t get congressional authorization to do it, that’s not the most important point. Process questions obscure more than they illuminate.
The problem is that this is illegal, immoral, expensive and dangerous …. for no good reason. In fact, they can’t even articulate one that makes any sense — it’s drugs, it’s a stolen election, it’s oil, none of which are acceptable rationales for this operation. Neither can they explain what comes next and who is going to be involved. Those are the fundamental issues and they are huge.
