Top U.S. administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, conducted a classified briefing for congressional leaders on Monday regarding the recent military intervention in Venezuela. The two-hour session revealed significant divisions between Republican and Democratic lawmakers concerning President Trump’s decision to forcibly remove Nicolás Maduro from power without prior congressional consultation.
Republican leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), expressed support for the operation, characterizing it as a necessary measure to combat narcoterrorism and drug trafficking rather than regime change. Johnson emphasized economic coercion through seized oil exports as the primary tool for compelling behavioral changes in Venezuela’s interim government.
Democratic leaders emerged from the briefing with substantial concerns. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Representative Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.) questioned the operation’s financial costs and long-term strategic vision. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer warned that this action potentially initiates a dangerous new approach to foreign policy that could extend to other nations like Colombia, Cuba, and Greenland.
The administration’s delayed notification to Congress about the ongoing military operation raised constitutional questions, particularly regarding war powers. A resolution prohibiting further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval is scheduled for a Senate vote this week.
Internal divisions also appeared within Republican ranks. Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized the operation as unconstitutional and a dangerous precedent, while Senator Rick Scott (R-Fla.) expressed support for opposition leader María Corina Machado as a future democratic leader. The administration’s sidelining of established Venezuelan opposition figures in favor of interim President Delcy Rodríguez, a Maduro ally, further complicated the political landscape.