Several senators described the move as an illegal regime-change operation, accusing the administration of misleading Congress by denying that removing Maduro was a US objective.
BY PC Bureau
Janaury 3, 2026: Democratic lawmakers on Saturday sharply criticised the Trump administration for failing to inform Congress in advance about its operation to extract Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying lawmakers were notified only after the action was already underway and accusing President Donald Trump of overstepping his authority.
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described Maduro as “a tyrant” but said the operation contradicted repeated assurances given to Congress by the administration. “This action is entirely inconsistent with what the cabinet briefed lawmakers and runs counter to the expressed wishes of the American people,” she said, warning that the strikes risked pulling the United States into an open conflict and endangering US service members. Shaheen added that reports of injured American troops required immediate clarification.
READ: Trump Claims US Will ‘Run’ Venezuela, Hand Oil Sector to American Firms
Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the Pentagon informed committee staff only after the operation had concluded. Rep. Gregory W. Meeks of New York, ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, echoed the concern, saying he received “absolutely no briefing or heads up” and raising serious questions about the administration’s next steps.
Democratic lawmakers railed against President Donald Trump’s overnight military operation in Venezuela on Saturday that resulted in the successful capture of socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife. Congressional Democrats argued Trump lacked… https://t.co/enm5M3xtIv pic.twitter.com/84mxCfOpEq
— The Western Journal (@WesternJournalX) January 3, 2026
Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, who serves on both the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, labelled the extraction an “illegal regime-change operation,” arguing that such a decision could not be made without congressional input. She accused the administration of misleading lawmakers by previously insisting that regime change was not the US objective in Venezuela and called for accountability.
Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia said the operation marked a troubling return to an era in which the United States claimed the right to intervene in the internal politics of other nations in the Western Hemisphere. He questioned where such unilateral action might lead next, warning that the president appeared willing to deploy troops or take aggressive actions abroad without seeking legal authorisation from Congress.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, also a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, described the operation as an “act of war” and a “grave abuse of presidential power.” He dismissed the administration’s stated rationale, pointing to Trump’s recent pardon of former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who had been convicted in the US on drug-trafficking charges. “This is not about dismantling a dictatorship,” Van Hollen said. “It is about seizing Venezuela’s oil for the benefit of Trump’s billionaire allies.”
