US Military Raid on Venezuela Sparks Fury from Democrats
In a brazen move, President Donald Trump authorized a military intervention in Venezuela, sparking widespread outrage among Democratic leaders who accuse him of deliberately deceiving Congress and undermining the US Constitution.
Senator Chris Murphy, in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, condemned the operation as "wildly illegal," adding that there is no way to trust this administration. He pointed out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had given lawmakers a briefing just months ago stating that the US would not be involved in regime change, but instead claimed it was a counter-narcotics operation.
The absence of any prior notification to Congress has led many to question Trump's intentions. "They literally lied to our face," Murphy said, emphasizing that Democrats will not tolerate such actions.
Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war, and the 1973 War Powers Resolution requires presidents to seek approval from lawmakers for military engagements. Yet, in this case, not even the top congressional leaders were notified about the operation, which included a dawn bombardment on Venezuela and a military landing to snatch President Nicolás Maduro.
"This is an imperial adventure," said Representative Jim Himes, top Democrat on the House intelligence committee. He accused Trump of "paving the way for disaster" and "not giving a hoot about the US congress." The operation has been likened to an "act of war" involving thousands of troops and at least 150 military aircraft.
The move has raised significant concerns among lawmakers, who are now gearing up to vote on a bipartisan war powers resolution aimed at blocking any further military hostilities without express approval from Congress. Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, has been a vocal critic of Trump's foreign policy, and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, has expressed similar concerns.
Schumer warned that such actions would lead to "apocalyptic consequences" for the US, citing past examples of regime change and nation-building efforts that have resulted in high costs in blood and dollars. He also emphasized that this move directly contradicts Trump's campaign promises to avoid endless wars.
In a brazen move, President Donald Trump authorized a military intervention in Venezuela, sparking widespread outrage among Democratic leaders who accuse him of deliberately deceiving Congress and undermining the US Constitution.
Senator Chris Murphy, in an interview on CNN's State of the Union, condemned the operation as "wildly illegal," adding that there is no way to trust this administration. He pointed out that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had given lawmakers a briefing just months ago stating that the US would not be involved in regime change, but instead claimed it was a counter-narcotics operation.
The absence of any prior notification to Congress has led many to question Trump's intentions. "They literally lied to our face," Murphy said, emphasizing that Democrats will not tolerate such actions.
Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war, and the 1973 War Powers Resolution requires presidents to seek approval from lawmakers for military engagements. Yet, in this case, not even the top congressional leaders were notified about the operation, which included a dawn bombardment on Venezuela and a military landing to snatch President Nicolás Maduro.
"This is an imperial adventure," said Representative Jim Himes, top Democrat on the House intelligence committee. He accused Trump of "paving the way for disaster" and "not giving a hoot about the US congress." The operation has been likened to an "act of war" involving thousands of troops and at least 150 military aircraft.
The move has raised significant concerns among lawmakers, who are now gearing up to vote on a bipartisan war powers resolution aimed at blocking any further military hostilities without express approval from Congress. Rand Paul, the Republican senator from Kentucky, has been a vocal critic of Trump's foreign policy, and Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader in the Senate, has expressed similar concerns.
Schumer warned that such actions would lead to "apocalyptic consequences" for the US, citing past examples of regime change and nation-building efforts that have resulted in high costs in blood and dollars. He also emphasized that this move directly contradicts Trump's campaign promises to avoid endless wars.
I'm literally fuming right now!!! How can Trump just go around doing whatever he wants without even checking with Congress?!? Like, what kind of power trip is this?!? He's basically saying "I'm above the law" and that's not okay! 
The fact that they lied to lawmakers about it being a counter-narcotics op and then went ahead and did a military raid on Venezuela is just crazy! 
What's next, him going to invade Canada or something?!? 
And now Schumer is warning about "apocalyptic consequences" and I'm over here like YAAAS PLEASE DO IT ALREADY!!! 
Just kidding sort of... But seriously, Trump needs to be held accountable for this move. It's a huge power grab and it's gotta stop! 
anyway, back to venezuela... i mean, trump's got some nerve doing this behind congress' backs. but honestly, have you seen those new sneakers from nike? the ones with the glow-in-the-dark soles? they're kinda cool 
like how can they just do something like this without even checking with congress? it's like they're trying to be all powerful or something. i think trump is playing with fire here and democrats are right to call him out on it 
. the whole thing about marco rubio saying it was a counter-narcotics op just months ago is wild 
. i'm all about congress having the power to declare war, let's stick with that plan 
can't believe trump is doing this again like what happened with iraq 
but still, the US constitution is like our bible or something, you gotta follow it 
. This whole thing is giving me major imperial adventure vibes 
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As a country, we need leaders who put the interests of our citizens above their own ego and power. This action reeks of imperialism and a complete disregard for the Constitution. 
We need to hold Trump accountable for his actions and demand that he respects the checks and balances of our democracy. 
. Schumer's right to say it could lead to apocalyptic consequences if we keep going down this path...
. I'm not surprised at all that Democrats are freaking out about this - they should be. The Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to declare war, and Trump just went ahead and did his own thing without even consulting them? That's a constitutional crisis waiting to happen 
. This whole situation just stinks, and I'm still waiting to see how it all plays out 
? This whole thing reeks of imperial nonsense 
. Time for some real leadership from our politicians! 
It's just so reckless and impulsive. And what about the Constitution, guys? Like, didn't we learn anything from all those wars we got into back in the day? 
his military intervention in venezuela is straight out of a bad spy movie 
but seriously, it's a huge power grab and he's basically trying to undermine the constitution 
senator murphy is totally right, this move is wildly illegal and trump's got no qualms about lying to congress 
and then there's rep jim himes, dude is HONESTLY FUMING 
i mean, what even is the point of having congress if you're just gonna ignore them? 
. It's time for Congress to step up and hold him accountable 
. But this time it's getting personal 
. The Democrats are not having it and are pushing back hard 
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. This is what happens when you take away checks and balances 
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