Washington: The US Congress is sharply divided over President Donald Trump’s expanding use of military and economic power abroad, with lawmakers from both parties offering starkly different readings of the administration’s actions in Venezuela and its broader foreign policy posture.
Top Democratic opposition leaders on Wednesday (local time) accused the Trump Administration of bypassing Congress, shifting rationales, and risking another prolonged overseas entanglement.
Lawmakers from the ruling Republican party have applauded what they called decisive leadership and a long-overdue enforcement of US law and sanctions.
In a military operation, the US removed Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and has subsequently moved to control oil exports, actions that have reignited debates over war powers, constitutional authority and US global credibility.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer expressed concerns after an all-senators classified briefing. “Again, no answers,” Schumer said on the Senate floor. “We walked out of the room with far more questions than answers, and it’s not just senators who deserve answers — it’s the American people.”
Schumer questioned the administration’s shifting explanations.
“What is going on in Venezuela and why is this president now spending all his time and energy on escapades overseas?” he asked. “How long is US involvement going to last? How many troops? How much money?”
Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin said removing Maduro does not absolve the administration of its duty to explain what comes next. “Maduro is a bad guy,” Durbin said. “I’m glad he is not in power today.” But he added, “If you remove the president of a country, what happens next? What is our responsibility?”
Durbin warned that past US interventions offer cautionary lessons. “Many times we blundered into situations that looked simple but turned out to be complex,” he said, citing long wars in the Middle East that cost “not only American taxpayer dollars, but American lives.”
Other Democrats were more blunt. Senator Brian Schatz said the parallels to Iraq were “alarmingly obvious.”
“The Justice Department can dress this up in charges of narcoterrorism,” Schatz said, “but Trump is being very explicit about the main goal. It’s the oil.”
In the House, Representative Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said the administration owed Congress “a clear and honest explanation of its actual objectives in Venezuela, which have shifted from drugs to regime change to controlling a country and its oil.”
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi announced plans to introduce legislation barring any US occupation or administration of Venezuela. “Congress has not approved the United States occupying or running Venezuela — militarily, economically, or administratively,” Krishnamoorthi said. “The NOVA Act stops this power grab cold.”
A group of Democratic veterans, led by Rep. Seth Moulton, warned that unilateral action risks repeating past mistakes. “We cannot afford to stumble into another unconstitutional and endless war,” Moulton said. “The American people should not be lied to by any administration.”
Republicans countered that the criticism ignores years of bipartisan consensus that Maduro should be held accountable. Senator John Cornyn praised what he called “decisive and bold leadership.”
“What we saw demonstrated by the US military was nothing short of magnificent,” Cornyn said. “Only the United States could have pulled off such an operation and brought someone so despicable as Nicolas Maduro to justice.”
Senator John Barrasso, the Senate Majority Whip, called the action “one of the boldest law enforcement operations in decades.”
“Maduro is an outlaw,” Barrasso said. “If you poison and kill the American people, you will be held accountable.” He added, “America, Venezuela, and the world are safer because of it.”
Barrasso accused Democrats of hypocrisy. “For years, Democrats were for holding Maduro accountable,” he said. “Now President Trump finally does it, and they say, ‘How dare he’.”
Senator Eric Schmitt framed the operation as part of a broader strategic shift. “This is the Monroe Doctrine in action,” Schmitt said. “We care very deeply about what happens in our hemisphere. We’re not going to allow a tin-pot dictator to poison our country with drugs and host our adversaries.”
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise also accused Democrats of obstruction. “President Trump finally does something about Maduro,” Scalise said, “and Democrats wake up every day just to oppose what Donald Trump does, no matter what it is.”
As the debate intensifies, lawmakers on both sides agree on one point: Congress will play a central role in determining how far the administration can go next. War powers resolutions, funding restrictions and public hearings are already being prepared.
For now, the divide remains stark. Democrats warn of unchecked executive power and creeping intervention. Republicans see a president enforcing the law and restoring US strength.
“This is a moment when the American people deserve honesty.” Whether Congress can force that clarity — or whether the White House presses ahead — will shape the next phase of US engagement abroad,” Schumer said.
(IANS)
