Here’s what Virginia’s federal elected officials have said about the U.S. military action in Venezuela that captured President Nicolás Maduro:
U.S. Senate
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
Ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee
“President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro — however terrible he is — is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere. That history is replete with failures, and doubling down on it makes it difficult to make the claim with a straight face that other countries should respect the United States’ sovereignty when we do not do the same.
“Where will this go next? Will the President deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization from people’s elected legislature before putting servicemembers at risk.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade. My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week. We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va.
Vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
“Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.
“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.
“None of this absolves Maduro. He is a corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people, stolen elections, imprisoned political opponents, and presided over a humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The Venezuelan people deserve democratic leadership, and the United States and the international community should have done far more, years ago, to press for a peaceful transition after Maduro lost a vote of his own citizens. But recognizing Maduro’s crimes does not give any president the authority to ignore the Constitution.
“The hypocrisy underlying this decision is especially glaring. This same president recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges, including conspiring with narcotics traffickers while in office. Yet now, the administration claims that similar allegations justify the use of military force against another sovereign nation. You cannot credibly argue that drug trafficking charges demand invasion in one case, while issuing a pardon in another.
“America’s strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles, even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency.”
U.S. House of Representatives
1st District: Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Westmoreland County
Vice chairman, House Armed Services Committee
“Drug trafficking at the hands of violent cartels, with the aid and abetment of the Maduro regime, has devastated countless American families. I commend the administration for taking decisive action in Venezuela to protect our national security, and I look forward to in-depth briefings from our partners in the administration to ensure this operation brings stability and security to the region. We must also thank the brave men and women of the U.S. military who carried out this mission with bravery, courage, and steadfast professionalism.”
2nd District: Rep. Jen Kiggans, R-Virginia Beach
Member, House Armed Services Committee
“The strength of the United States is rooted in the courage and dedication of the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces. That strength was on full display in the early hours this morning when they carried out a precise and successful operation to apprehend indicted narcoterrorist Nicolás Maduro.
“While I look forward to returning to Washington to receive a full briefing on this operation, I am grateful that our adversaries have once again been reminded of what American strength and resolve look like on the world stage. The United States will not tolerate illegal drug trafficking that targets out nation and harms our people. For too long, Americans have suffered the consequences of poisonous drugs funneled into our country by this illegal regime, and this operation marks a concrete step toward putting an end to that threat. Every parent in Virginia and across the country should rejoice that narcoterrorism is being addressed to protect our children and their futures against the deadly flow of drugs into our communities.
“I am forever grateful to our service members who stand on the front lines to defend our nation and preserve the freedoms that make the United States a true beacon of hope around the world.”
3rd District: Rep. Bobby Scott, D-Newport News
“I am deeply concerned by reports of U.S. military strikes in Venezuela and the capture of President Maduro. There is no question that Nicolás Maduro is a brutal and corrupt leader who has inflicted enormous harm on the Venezuelan people. However, the reprehensible conduct of a foreign leader, absent a clear and immediate threat to the United States, does not give any president the authority to disregard the Constitution.
“The Constitution vests in Congress the power to authorize the use of military force. To date, the Trump Administration has yet to identify a clear legal basis for its military strikes in the Caribbean, the Eastern Pacific or now inside Venezuela, for the capture of a foreign head of state, or even to ‘run’ a foreign country. Escalating military action inside a sovereign country without congressional authorization raises serious questions under both U.S. and international law and risks further destabilizing the region.
“I have repeatedly warned that these heavy-handed and legally dubious military actions carried out in the name of reducing drug use in the United States are among the least effective and most costly ways to address that problem. Decades of evidence and research make clear that the most effective strategies to reduce illicit drug use are education, prevention, and access to mental health and addiction treatment. Yet at the same time, this Administration has sought to significantly reduce staffing and funding for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the very federal agency charged with addressing those needs. This contradiction suggests a troubling preference for costly military escalation over evidence-based solutions.
“Congress and the American people deserve a full accounting of the legal authority, objectives, and consequences of these actions. I will continue to press for answers and for Congress to reassert our constitutional war powers.”
4th District: Rep. Jennifer McClellan, D-Richmond
“Without Congressional approval, the Trump Administration’s illegal military strikes on Venezuela have thrown us into frighteningly uncharted territory. In the process, they have put the lives of our servicemembers at needless risk, damaged our reputation as a global leader and threatened to drag our nation into a senseless war. This clear violation of the Constitution is beyond reckless.
“Maduro’s illegitimate rule over Venezuela and his blatant suppression of democracy cannot be overlooked, but this alone does not justify war and an American-led regime change using our taxpayer resources to ‘run the country’ of Venezuela. The Administration repeatedly told Congress that it did not intend to use military force in Venezuela. This was a lie.
“The Administration’s actions today undermine the delicate trust built between the United States and Latin America, sending a disturbing message to other world leaders that we do not respect the sovereignty of other countries. They invite our adversaries to do the same and undermine our moral standing to oppose similar actions by Russia or China to launch large-scale military operations in their neighboring countries.
“The President has a duty to share with Congress his legal justification for this decision, and Congress must act swiftly to prevent further bloodshed and secure stability in the region during this critical time.”
5th District: Rep. John McGuire, R-Goochland County
Member, House Armed Services Committee
“Today, I celebrate one year in Congress serving the people of Virginia’s 5th District. I want to thank President Trump, our brave military and law enforcement personnel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and all involved for decisively protecting our homeland. Their precise actions ensured no U.S. personnel or equipment were lost, a testament to their skill and resolve.
“As a Navy SEAL veteran, my team and I deployed on missions against dangerous cartels across South and Central America. I remember Venezuela in the 1990s: a peaceful, prosperous democracy. Today, Venezuela is a proxy for China, Iran, and Russia used to terrorize the U.S. with illicit drugs, mass illegal immigration, gangs, and cartels. For far too long, Nicolás Maduro and his thugs have poisoned our communities, destabilized the region, and fueled unimaginable suffering on the people of Venezuela.
“I’ve knocked on too many doors and seen parents break down in tears over the loss of their 18, 19, or 20 year-old sons and daughters to overdoses. President Trump is a true man of action who cares about the safety of the American people. In just one year, he’s secured the border, made our streets safer, and driven murder rates down significantly.
“This bold, clear operation in Venezuela sends an unmistakable message to foreign adversaries worldwide, whether they endanger our homeland, our way of life, or flood our nation with deadly narcotics: We will not waver. We will keep Americans safe at home and abroad. Venezuelans deserve freedom and prosperity. Thank God the tyranny is finally over!”
6th District: Rep. Ben Cline, R-Botetourt County
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States acted boldly to confront narco-terrorism in Venezuela. I commend @SecRubio, @SecWar, and the brave men and women of our U.S. military who executed this mission. American strength is back. Our message is clear: we will defend our security and lead with resolve.”
7th District: Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Prince William County
“Cindy and my thoughts are with our troops this morning and their families. We hope they come home safe. The U.S. military is a remarkable instrument that performs magnificently. The question is whether it will be a tool of conquest or a tool to defend American lives and values.
“Let there be no mistake, President Trump has started a war in Venezuela, without any Congressional approval, and in violation of the Constitution.
“Over the past 2 decades, we have learned the hard way that wars are easy to start and hard to finish. A plan rarely survives first contact. Having served in Iraq, I’ve seen this first hand.
“Trump is wrong to start a war in Venezuela. It is not what the American people want, it is not putting America first, and it is not worth American blood and treasure.”
8th District: Rep. Don Beyer, D-Alexandria
Beyer posted five stateements, in this order:
“I’ve always opposed American attacks on Venezuela and I oppose them now. You don’t need sympathy for Maduro to grasp that attacking another country for unclear, shifting rationales without domestic support or a clear plan for the day after won’t make us safer. The Administration lied to Congress and launched an illegal war for regime change and oil. Foolhardy and wrong.”
He cited the Justice Department’s unsealed indictment of Maduro:
“Attorney General Pam Bondi just posted the Justice Department’s indictment of Maduro – the specific justification the Trump Administration claims for this attack. The word “fentanyl” does not appear a single time in its 25 pages.”
His third post:
The Administration and its allies are lying about the justification for this war. They’re saying “hundreds of thousands” were killed by “narco-terrorism,” meaning fentanyl overdose deaths. Except the Trump Admin admits that fentanyl didn’t come from Venezuela. Sources follow—”
His fourth post:
“These sources are all Administration documents from Trump’s first and second terms: ICE Official’s sworn testimony to Congress, via DHS: “United States law enforcement has identified two primary sources of the US illicit fentanyl threat: China and Mexico.” https://dhs.gov/news/2017/03/21/written-testimony-ice-house-energy-and-commerce-subcommittee-oversight-and CBP page on the front line in the fight against fentanyl identifies East Asia and Mexico as primary sources of smuggling, does not mention Venezuela: https://cbp.gov/frontline/cbp-america-s-front-line-against-fentanyl State Department Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs strategy to combat opioid overdose deaths focuses on Mexico and China, does not mention Venezuela: https://state.gov/addressing-the-overdose-crisis/ DEA intelligence report “Fentanyl Flow to the United States” does not mention Venezuela: https://dea.gov/sites/default/files/2020-03/DEA_GOV_DIR-008-20%20Fentanyl%20Flow%20in%20the%20United%20States_0.pdf“
His fifth post has a copy of a news story about President Trump’s pardon of the former president of Honduras, who had been convicted of drug offenses:
“Trump just pardoned this man.”
9th District: Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem
“Similar to Panama’s Manuel Noriega in 1990 who was later found guilty, the disputed Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro will stand trial for drug trafficking charges in the United States.
“But I am concerned about U.S. military intervention in foreign countries because of its potential to lead to protracted U.S. engagement. Because of this concern, I will be asking that further information is shared regarding the drug trafficking charges. Further, I want information on plans for future U.S. involvement in Venezuela and will insist Congressional authority and oversight be adhered to.”
10th District: Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Loudoun County
“Today’s military action and the kidnapping of Maduro was illegal. What’s the plan?”
He then referred to this formal statement:
“This Administration’s actions in Venezuela prove that this has never been about a war on drugs or protecting Americans. This is about regime change and a personal feud with President Maduro. President Trump said he’d be the ‘Peace President’ and wouldn’t start any new wars, and yet here he is illegally invading another country and kidnapping its President. This was done without congressional approval, and Congress must be briefed about this as soon as possible.
“President Maduro was a violent ruler who oppressed democracy in his country, but his capture in this manner will not stop the flow of drugs or promise anything other than more instability in Venezuela, and potentially another forever war started under false pretenses.”
11th District: Rep. James Walkinshaw, D-Fairfax County
“Trump’s regime change war in Venezuela is flat out illegal and yet another betrayal of the commitments he made to the American people. He said he’d lower prices. He’s driving prices up. He said no ‘new stupid wars.’ He’s starting new stupid wars.”