House Speaker Mike Johnson has declared the United States is "not at war" with Venezuela, following a controversial military-backed operation over the weekend to capture the country's president, Nicolás Maduro.
Administration Briefing Sparks Bipartisan Concern
The statement came after a confidential briefing on Monday for congressional leaders from top Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, and Attorney General Pam Bondi. The operation, ordered by Donald Trump, saw Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, arrested and indicted on federal charges related to drugs, guns, and narco-terrorism. Maduro pleaded not guilty in a New York court.
Johnson sought to downplay the scale of US involvement. "We are not at war. We do not have US armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country," he told reporters. He rejected Democratic claims that Trump broke the law by not seeking congressional authorisation beforehand, framing the action as a demand for behavioural change rather than regime change.
Democratic Warnings and International Condemnation
Democratic leaders emerged from the briefing deeply alarmed. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said it "posed far more questions than it ever answered" and warned the US was risking being drawn into a new protracted conflict. "When the United States engages in this kind of regime change and so-called nation building, it always ends up hurting the United States," Schumer stated.
The incursion has also drawn fierce international criticism. In an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, dozens of countries denounced the US action as a "crime of aggression". Meanwhile, the Trump administration justifies its move by alleging Maduro ran a "narco-terrorist" government that trafficked fentanyl into the US and gave a foothold to rivals like China and Russia.
Congressional Power Struggle and Future Strategy
The event has triggered a significant power struggle within Congress. Democratic senators plan to force a vote on a War Powers Resolution to require congressional approval for any further military action in Venezuela. In a rare show of cross-party unity, the Senate Judiciary Committee's top Republican and Democrat protested their exclusion from the briefing, calling it "unacceptable."
In contrast, Republican Congressman Brian Mast, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, argued the raid did not require prior authorisation, comparing it to the killing of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani. Johnson predicted US economic pressure, including seized oil exports, would force political change in Caracas "in very short order" without needing troops on the ground. Administration officials are scheduled to brief all lawmakers on the Venezuela strategy this Wednesday.
