People demonstrate against US military action in Venezuela in Boston Common in Boston, Massachusetts. AFP
“The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans,” Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said. “The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.” He added that the administration had assured him “three separate times” it was not pursuing regime change or military action in Venezuela, according to Politico.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries drew direct comparisons to earlier US interventions, saying, “The promotion of security and stability in a region requires more than just military force as we painfully discovered in Iraq and Afghanistan,” Politico reported.
Trump announced the operation in an early-morning social media post on Saturday, saying Washington will “run” Venezuela and tap its oil reserves after US forces captured Maduro and his wife during a raid in Caracas. Airstrikes hit multiple sites in the capital, leaving the city stunned.
Democrats slammed the strike as being orchestrated without meaningful consultation and accused the administration of bypassing Congress.
“Congress did not authorize this war,” Representative Seth Moulton said. “Venezuela posed no imminent threat to the United States. This is reckless, elective regime change risking American lives (Iraq 2.0) with no plan for the day after. Wars cost more than trophies.”
Several Democrats said administration officials had previously denied that regime change was the objective. Senator Andy Kim said, “Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.”
Senator Ruben Gallego, a combat veteran of the Iraq war, said, “The American people did not ask for this,” and questioned what would follow, asking, “So who is in charge of Venezuela now?” He later added, “No matter the outcome we are in the wrong for starting this war in Venezuela.”
Senator Mark Kelly warned that removing a leader by force did not guarantee stability. “If we learned anything from the Iraq war, it’s that dropping bombs or toppling a leader doesn’t guarantee democracy, stability, or make Americans safer,” he said. “More often, it leads to chaos or drags the US into a war and lengthy occupation,” Politico reported.
Some Democrats expressed mixed views. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Maduro’s capture was “welcome news” but argued that “the absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime.”
Republicans largely defended the operation. Senator Lindsey Graham dismissed legal and political criticism, saying critics were “focused on absurd ‘legal’ theories,” and warned that US adversaries should take note. “There’s a new sheriff in town,” Graham said, adding that “the leaders of Cuba and Iran should also be very worried,” according to Axios.
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