WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement on the Trump Administration's military action in Venezuela.
“Nicolas Maduro is a tyrant who repressed Venezuelans and aligned with our adversaries. However, today’s drastic military operation by President Trump on Venezuelan soil is entirely inconsistent with what his cabinet repeatedly briefed to Congress and goes against the expressed wishes of the American people. These strikes draw America even deeper into open conflict at grave risk to our service members and reportedly resulted in injured American troops—which we need more information about immediately.
“Because the President and his Cabinet repeatedly denied any intention of conducting regime change in Venezuela when briefing Congress, we are left with no understanding of how the Administration is preparing to mitigate risks to the U.S. and we have no information regarding a long-term strategy following today’s extraordinary escalation. Instead, the Administration consistently misled the American people and their elected representatives by offering three differing and contradictory explanations for its actions.
“The American people and Congress deserve transparency and real, concrete answers about what is happening in our own hemisphere. We need to hear directly from the President on why his varying justifications to date warrant dragging America into an armed conflict without a clear end. We need to know how President Trump will prevent Maduro’s lieutenants and criminal gangs from filling the power vacuum that his unilateral action is likely to create. And the Administration should explain how it intends to prevent Venezuela from collapsing into further instability.
“Today’s actions risk broader insecurity in the region, including the migration of millions more refugees fleeing for the U.S. and other countries, like Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, that are already overwhelmed by the drug crisis. If the President is confident that today’s military action will not result in unintended consequences for Americans, he should be honest with our country about his reasoning and next steps.
“I urge the Trump Administration to immediately brief Congress on these actions when the Senate returns to Washington on Monday—if not, sooner.”