In a forceful response to a dramatic military operation, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has laid out a series of actions aimed at holding the Trump administration accountable for its unauthorized strike in Venezuela. The operation, conducted on Saturday, led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Democrats Decry "Reckless" Action and Broken Promises
During a press call on Saturday, Senator Schumer (D-N.Y.) was unequivocal in his criticism. "Let me be clear, Maduro is an illegitimate dictator, but launching military action without congressional authorization, without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless," he stated. Schumer revealed that he had directly asked the administration in December whether it was pursuing regime change or military action in Venezuela and was assured it was not. "Clearly, they're not being straight with the American people," he concluded.
The backlash was not isolated. Other Democrats, including House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.), accused the administration of lying to Congress during earlier briefings on Venezuela. Schumer confirmed he received no notification about the impending military strike.
Administration Announces U.S. to "Run" Venezuela
Following the operation, President Donald Trump declared that the United States would "run" Venezuela until a "safe, proper, and judicious transition" could occur. Schumer lambasted this statement, calling it "dangerous" and noting the president seemed unaware of the profound risks involved.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi labelled Maduro and Flores "alleged international narco traffickers," announcing they had been indicted on multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Congressional Actions to Rein in Executive Power
Schumer announced concrete steps already initiated to check the administration's power. The first is a demand for the administration to brief the top eight congressional leaders at the start of the coming week. "We want to know the administration's objectives, its plans to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster that plunges us into another endless war," Schumer explained.
More significantly, he stated that the Senate will vote next week on the War Powers Resolution. This measure, sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), is designed to block the use of U.S. Armed Forces in Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.
Schumer indicated he has spoken with ranking Democratic members on relevant committees, who have privately relayed "a lot of troublesome comments" from Republican chairs about Trump's actions. "We're going to be pushing our Republican colleagues to stand up for the American people," Schumer vowed. "Congress should not be sidelined as the Trump administration gets sucked into another nation-building quagmire, and we're going to hold them accountable."
He questioned the strategic rationale, asking, "No one can explain to me how this is America First... given what we know about past history and given the presentations that have been made that seem so based on almost surmise and lack of thorough thinking and fact." The coming week's congressional maneuvers will test the balance of power in Washington amidst an unexpected foreign policy crisis.
