Reed Statement on U.S. Military Raid in Caracas and Trump’s Claim to ‘Run’ Venezuela

WASHINGTON, DC-Today, after President Trump ordered a military raid to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas and claimed that the United States will "run" Venezuela, U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), the Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, issued the following statement:

"Last night, President Trump waged war on a foreign nation without authorization, without notification, and without any explanation to the American people. Whatever comes next, President Trump will own the consequences.

"Initially, the White House claimed the purpose of the raid was to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Now, the President has claimed the United States will "run" Venezuela, and that the objective of this operation is to seize control of Venezuela's oil reserves. This is ludicrous. No serious plan has been presented for how such an extraordinary undertaking would work or what it will cost the American people. History offers no shortage of warnings about the costs - human, strategic, and moral - of assuming we can govern another nation by force.

"This is not a legitimate basis for toppling a government. It violates international law and has failed catastrophically in the past.

"Nicolás Maduro is a brutal autocrat who has destroyed Venezuela's economy, crushed democratic opposition, and presided over pervasive corruption. Nothing in his record warrants defense. But the future of Venezuela is now in great peril, and the American people may very well be asked by President Trump to sacrifice greatly to prop up this foreign nation.

"This has been a profound constitutional failure. Congress - not the President - has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power.

"By normalizing violent, unilateral regime change, Trump weakens the international order we rely on to condemn Putin's invasion of Ukraine and deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan. The question now is not whether Maduro deserved removal - it is what precedent the United States has just set, and what comes next.

"The world did not doubt the capabilities of the United States military before this operation, and they do not doubt them now. But they certainly doubt the judgment of America's political leaders.

"Republicans in Congress have steadfastly declined to hold Trump Administration accountable for the Venezuela campaign. They must immediately step up and join Democrats in exercising their constitutional duty to provide oversight and demand answers on behalf of the American people."

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Tweet