MIL USHOR-2b Engine

Source: United States House of Representatives – Julia Brownley (D-CA)

Washington, DC – Today, Congresswoman Julia Brownley (D-CA) released the following statement on the Trump administration’s military actions in Venezuela:

Nicolás Maduro is an oppressive dictator who has inflicted profound suffering on the Venezuelan people. They deserve democracy, the protection of human rights, and the ability to determine their own future. However, that reality does not justify Donald Trump’s decision to initiate an unauthorized military action against Venezuela without Congressional approval.

Trump’s reckless action risks drawing the United States into a protracted conflict and has created dangerous uncertainty and instability for both Venezuela and the American people. The President is acting beyond his constitutional authority and has no legal basis to unilaterally assert U.S. control over another nation.

Congress must be immediately and fully briefed on this unauthorized use of military force, and the American people deserve full transparency and accountability for these actions and their consequences.

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Issues: 119th Congress, Military

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (1st District of Washington)

Today, Congresswoman Suzan DelBene (WA-01) released the following statement on President Trump’s military operation in Venezuela:

“Maduro was a dictator who used violence against his own people, but President Trump’s decision to invade Venezuela without consulting Congress does not make America safer. Trump is committing the United States to ‘run’ the country for an indefinite timeline. Americans don’t want another forever war without a plan.

“The president has an obligation to be honest with our country and our service members about his true intentions in Venezuela. He has long-said this was about stopping drug trafficking, but today made clear that this is really about securing the country’s oil and regime change

“Democrats and Republicans should stand united in demanding that the administration immediately come before all members of Congress to explain what the plan is for U.S. involvement, how much this is going to cost taxpayers, what authority he used to justify the operation, and what a successful outcome means for America and Venezuela.

“I commend the courage and professionalism of the service members involved in this operation and am thankful no American casualties have been reported.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Reprepsentative Kathy Castor (FL14)

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (FL-14) released the following statement:

“U.S. military service members are the most skilled in the world, and I pray for their safety. Tampa Bay neighbors and I want better for friends and family who have suffered under the oppressive Maduro regime.

“Trump’s military attack on Venezuela, without the approval of Congress, violates the U.S. Constitution which vests Congress with the power to declare war. Congressional authorization is important so that Americans can hold their elected representatives accountable for the costs and consequences of war.

“Allegiance to the U.S. Constitution is not a quaint notion that can be ignored by Trump even when it comes to corrupt Nicolas Maduro. Trump’s justification for regime change and a takeover of Venezuela are unsubstantiated. Trump recently pardoned a convicted drug trafficker Juan Orlando Hernandez and has provided no evidence drug trafficking from Venezuela presents an imminent threat to America’s national security.

“Trump has learned no lessons of the past, has taken America to war for oil again and thumbed his nose at promises to lower the cost of living. Trump said that he intends to run Venezuela while Republicans can’t even provide affordable health care to Americans. Trump said that he intends that U.S. oil companies will take the oil from Venezuela to profit, a dangerous green light to the aggression of Russia and China. After listening to President Trump this morning, I am disgusted by his constant lies to the American people. I question his mental faculties and ability to lead the country.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Paul Tonko (Capital Region New York)

AMSTERDAM, NY — Congressman Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) today released the following statement on President Trump’s decision this morning to launch a reckless and illegal attack on Venezuela:

“President Trump’s decision to attack Venezuela and abduct its head of state is reckless and illegal. These actions are clear acts of war against a sovereign nation — a power reserved in our Constitution solely for Congress. In no way did Venezuela pose an imminent threat to the safety of the U.S. These unilateral actions will embolden autocrats around the world and will make the Western Hemisphere a less stable place.

“Under no circumstances should we be putting American service members at risk in a war over regime change and oil. We tried that in Iraq, and it was an utter disaster that cost thousands of American lives and trillions of dollars that should have been spent here in the United States. We should be focused on meeting the pressing and urgent needs of our country, not trying to run another.

“Republicans in Congress need to grow a spine and put a stop to Trump’s illegal and dangerous actions before more American blood and treasure is put at risk in a war precisely no one asked for.”

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Representative Salud Carbajal (CA-24)

Today, U.S. Representative Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) issued the statement below following the Trump administration’s military actions in Venezuela.

“The Trump administration’s decision to attack Venezuela was a reckless and deeply destabilizing action. Launching unilateral military strikes and seizing Maduro without a clear plan for what comes next risks creating a dangerous power vacuum — one that could plunge the entire region into chaos and endanger countless lives.

“Today’s military action undermines the United States’s global standing and weakens the international rules-based order our country helped build decades ago. Maduro is an illegitimate leader, but these actions risk pulling our nation into yet another open-ended conflict at a time when the American people are demanding an end to forever wars abroad. At the same time, these actions do nothing to put the interests of the American people first and fail to address our current cost-of-living crisis.

“The Trump administration must immediately brief Congress on today’s strikes and its plans for the region. I also call on Speaker Johnson and other congressional Republican leaders to reassert Congress’s oversight and war-making authority. The American people deserve answers immediately.” 

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Costa Representing 16th District of California

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Jim Costa (CA-21), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement regarding reports that the President ordered unilateral military action in Venezuela:
“There is no dispute that Nicolás Maduro is a dictator who has illegally and illegitimately clung to power, inflicting severe hardship on the Venezuelan people. However, unilateral military action risks undermining U.S. standing in the region, straining relationships with key allies, and escalating instability throughout the hemisphere.
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, I am deeply troubled by reports that the President acted without consulting Congress. The Constitution is clear that Congress must be involved in decisions regarding the use of military force. Acting unilaterally undermines democratic oversight and sets a dangerous precedent.
This administration’s priorities are misplaced. Americans are focused on lowering the cost of health care, housing, and groceries, not sudden military actions overseas taken without transparency or accountability.
At a time when families across the country are struggling to make ends meet, the administration must clearly explain the legal authority for this action, its objectives, and how it serves the national interest. The entire Congress deserves a full briefing, and the American people deserve transparency.
Upholding the rule of law cannot be selective. It must apply both abroad and at home.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim Baird (R-IN-04)

Congressman Baird Statement on Successful U.S. Military Operation and Capture of Nicolás Maduro

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Ted Lieu (33 District of California)

WASHINGTON – Today, Congressman Ted W. Lieu (D-Los Angeles County) issued the following statement after the Trump Administration conducted a large-scale strike on Venezuela and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. At a subsequent press conference at his Mar-A-Lago estate, President Trump said of Venezuela: “We are going to run the country.”

“The U.S. attack on Venezuela is illegal. Congress never authorized this use of military force. I will vote to stop it. 

“This is insane. Heath care costs and food prices are surging. Trump’s response is we’re going to run another country. Batshit crazy.” 

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Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA)

WORCESTER—Congressman James P. McGovern (D-MA), Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and Co-Chair of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, released this statement following Donald Trump’s illegal and unjustified attack against Venezuela:

“Nicolás Maduro is a brutal dictator with a horrific human rights record who used force to cling to power after losing an election. It is entirely possible to hate Maduro and also to strongly condemn the decision to remove him by force. President Trump did not seek congressional authorization for this use of force, and Congress did not grant it. Under our Constitution and the law, that makes this action illegal.

“Our policy towards Venezuela must be centered on the human rights, democratic freedoms and well-being of the people of Venezuela – all the people, not just any favored faction. They have suffered tremendously under decades of repression by their own government, and deprivations made worse by broad-based U.S. economic sanctions. Genuinely including the Venezuelan people, across all ethnic and socio-economic categories, in what comes next is essential.

“U.S. military-induced regime change creates severe unintended consequences, as evidenced in Iraq. There is always more violence and civilian harm than leaders promise. Now Trump says the U.S. will “run the country.” He has not consulted Congress on this plan. He has not been honest with the American public about the costs, either financial or boots on the ground. And Trump is insulting the Venezuelan people by thinking he knows better than them about how to chart their own future.

“Like Bush and Cheney a quarter century ago, President Trump has based this action on oil. He has spoken of Venezuela’s oil reserves as “our oil” which is the opposite of putting the Venezuelan people first.

“If Maduro is to stand trial, it would be best done by an international tribunal. The International Criminal Court has an ongoing investigation into crimes against humanity committed by the Venezuelan government under Nicolás Maduro, which is supported by many other governments in the Western Hemisphere. Holding Maduro accountable under an international justice mechanism would add legitimacy in the eyes of the global community in a way that a trial in a U.S. court may not. Trying Maduro solely on narcotics charges would risk denying the Venezuelan people the accountability-based justice they seek for massive human rights violations against them.

“President Trump has set a precedent of using superior military force to remove the leader of a country he doesn’t like for a reason of his choosing. Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping must be thinking how they can achieve their own ambitions by copying Donald Trump.”

Source: United States House of Representatives – Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA)

Griffith Statement on U.S. Operation in Venezuela