Senate Republicans find themselves at odds over President Trump’s plan to intensify military pressure on Venezuela, as some fear that pushing for regime change could backfire.
Senate Support for Targeting Speedboats, but Caution on Regime Change
The majority of Senate Republicans back Trump’s aggressive actions against Venezuelan speedboats suspected of drug smuggling. Yet several lawmakers warn that striking Maduro’s regime more directly-either by attacking land targets or deploying “boots on the ground”-could be excessive. “I’m certainly following the situation closely. I support what the president’s done. I think the question is how forceful we should do this,” said Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.). “I think we just have to be very careful when we’re dealing with regime change. It seems to backfire a lot.”
Rand Paul’s Opposition and the Issue of Pardons
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) declared that he believes the administration is pursuing regime change in Venezuela and stated, “I’m opposed to it.” Paul criticized the Trump administration for striking Venezuelan boats while pardoning former Honduran president Juan Orlando Hernández, who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for partnering with cocaine traffickers. Trump pardoned Hernández earlier this month. “They let go of a guy that was in prison for 40 years at a very high level distributing narcotics, and then they’re blowing up these other people. It’s the whole danger of what we’ve gotten away from is – at one point in time, Congress was supposed to declare war under the Constitution. We’ve gotten away from that,” Paul said. He added that presidents are bypassing Congress’s authority by declaring “war against people we designate to be terrorists,” and that the government is now being labeled a terrorist entity.
U.S. Coast Guard Intercepts and Naval Buildup
Tensions in the region rose over the weekend when the U.S. Coast Guard attempted to intercept an oil tanker headed toward Venezuela to pick up a shipment of crude oil. U.S. forces have already seized two oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela amid a massive buildup of U.S. naval forces in the Caribbean Sea aimed at putting pressure on Maduro.
Anonymous Senator’s Concerns About Ground Troops
A Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment frankly on Trump’s aggressive pressure against Maduro said the Trump administration seems intent on ousting Maduro even though Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators in a briefing last week that’s not their goal. “I do not want to put ground troops in Venezuela. I don’t want to have another Afghanistan or Iraq,” the senator said. “I’m not in favor of U.S.-directed regime change.”
Rubio’s Briefing and White House Contradiction
Rubio addressed Senate Republicans’ growing concerns that Trump may be planning a more aggressive intervention to oust the Maduro regime, which many Republicans say has held onto power illegitimately. “Marco said repeatedly that regime change is not the policy of the United States; it was not the focus of the anti-narcotrafficking policy,” the senator said. Several other senators confirmed that Rubio assured lawmakers on Capitol Hill during a classified briefing that the administration is not pursuing regime change.
White House chief of staff Susie Wiles made comments to journalist Chris Whipple in an interview for Vanity Fair indicating that regime change is Trump’s goal. “He wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle,” Wiles said, adding that if Trump wants to order land strikes, he would need Congress’s authority.
Susan Collins Calls for Clarity
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins (R-Maine) said there’s a lack of clarity from the administration about its national security goals for the region. “The briefing … helped somewhat, but there’s still a lack of clarity … aside from the drug issue of why we’re involved in this country’s leadership,” she said. “I don’t have a clear understanding,” Collins added.
Trump’s Threat of Strikes and the War Powers Resolution
Trump said last month that U.S. strikes against Venezuela could begin “very soon,” a threat that prompted Paul to join a group of Senate Democrats to file a war-powers resolution to block U.S. armed forces from engaging in hostilities against Venezuela without authorization from Congress. Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine (Va.), Adam Schiff (Calif.) and Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (N.Y.) are leading co-sponsors of the measure with Paul.
Only two House Republicans-Reps. Don Bacon (Neb.) and Thomas Massie (Ky.)-voted last week in favor of a Democratic resolution to stop hostilities against any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere without authorization from Congress.
Lindsey Graham’s Frustration
Some Republican defense hawks have expressed frustration that Rubio and Hegseth haven’t stated more clearly an agenda to force Maduro from power. “Most Americans want to know what’s going to happen next. I want to know what’s going to happen next. Is it the policy to take Maduro down? It should be, if it’s not. And if he goes, what’s going to happen next? I’d like a better answer as to what happens when Maduro goes,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), an outspoken advocate for regime change, said after meeting with Hegseth and Rubio.
Lummis Balances Drug Concerns with Skepticism
Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), who considers herself aligned with the America First movement, said she’s usually skeptical of U.S. military interventions aimed at regime change but supports Trump’s pressure on Venezuela to combat drug trafficking. “I do tend to look askance at more international engagements. But I also have a drug-addicted nephew who is in prison, and I’ve seen what these drugs are doing to America, and it’s terrifying,” she said. “Maduro is part of that narcoterrorism. I think it’s appropriate to call it narcoterrorism, and I’m actually OK with it all,” Lummis added, arguing that Maduro was not legitimately reelected. She said she doesn’t know whether she would support U.S. boots on the ground to accomplish regime change, but is very hopeful that it will happen regardless.
Schmitt Focuses on Boats, Not Regime
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.), a staunch Trump ally, said he believes the president is focused on stopping Venezuelan drug-smuggling boats and declined to speculate on whether Maduro needs to be toppled to effectively stop the flow of drugs from his country. “Clearly, Maduro is part of these cartel rings. But right now, the focus is to blow the boats that are killing Americans out of the water,” he said.
Key Takeaways
- Senate Republicans are split over Trump’s plan to increase military pressure on Venezuela, with some supporting targeted strikes and others warning against regime change.
- Rand Paul and other lawmakers criticize the administration’s approach, citing the pardon of Honduras’s former president and concerns over bypassing Congress’s war-declaration powers.
- U.S. forces have seized oil tankers and increased naval presence in the Caribbean, while the White House signals a desire for regime change, creating tension among Republican senators.
The debate illustrates a broader uncertainty within the Republican caucus about the limits of executive military action in foreign policy and the role of Congress in authorizing such actions.
