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‘Insane, illegal, unconstitutional’: Mass. delegation responds to U.S. operation in Venezuela
The Democratic lawmakers have argued that the attack was not justified by federal or international law.
Following the U.S. attack on Venezuela and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores on Saturday, Massachusetts congressional members have weighed in, criticizing President Donald Trump’s military action and questioning the constitutionality of the strike.
The Democratic lawmakers have argued that the attack was not justified by federal or international law, with the president acting unilaterally without congressional approval.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren condemned “President Trump’s unilateral military action to attack another country,” calling the strike “unconstitutional” in a statement posted to X.
“What does it mean that the U.S. will ‘run’ Venezuela, and what will Trump do next around the world?” Warren said. “The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.”
Many other lawmakers worry about the long-term implications of the attacks. Trump has claimed that the U.S. will “run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” but has yet to identify a long-term plan.
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“It will endanger U.S. lives, destabilize the region, & cost us billions of dollars,” Rep. Ayanna Presley said in a post on X. “Congress must stop this endless war & hold Trump accountable.”
Congressional members also question the president’s justification for military intervention. Maduro was captured to face narcoterrorism conspiracy charges in the U.S. as part of an agenda to crack down on drug trafficking, and the Trump administration has claimed that boats struck in recent weeks by the U.S. military were transporting cocaine and fentanyl. But the contents of the boats were not confirmed, and experts say that Venezuela plays a relatively minor role compared to other countries involved with trafficking illicit drugs.
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“This is insane, illegal, unconstitutional escalation, and it puts American lives at risk,” Rep. Seth Moulton said in a post on X. In earlier posts, he called the attack “Iraq 2.0.”
Moulton, a Marine Corps veteran who fought in the Iraq War, continued his comparison of Trump’s operation to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 during an interview with NBC10 Boston.
“Trump says this is gonna stop the flow of drugs, just like Bush said it would end terrorism to go to Iraq,” Moulton said. “Neither is true, and I think the American people know that”
Many Democrats in Congress also claim that the attack was motivated by a U.S. claim to Venezuelan oil. In a video posted on X, Sen. Edward Markey said “Now we know what this was all about all along. Regime change and oil,oil, oil.”
“Donald Trump had no approval from Congress for this unjustified, unauthorized attack on Venezuela,” Markey captioned the video. “This is what dictators do. We cannot stand idly by while Donald Trump conducts rogue attacks that put American lives further at risk.”
Other lawmakers speaking out include Rep. Jim McGovern, who issued a full statement on his website, and on social media called the attack on Venezuela an “unjustified, illegal strike.”
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Responding to McGovern’s comment in an interview aired on Fox & Friends, President Trump referred to congressional members who criticized his decision as “weak, stupid people.”
McGovern also claims that Trump’s aggressive foreign policy intervention is antithetical to the “America First” mantra that Trump adopted in his campaign and presidency.
“Trump says there’s not enough money for food & healthcare for our own people, but apparently we have enough to ‘run’ Venezuela so that big oil billionaires get even richer. This is a war for the fossil fuel lobby, funded by you, the American taxpayer.”
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