MALDEN, MA – Democratic Whip Katherine Clark issued the following statement:

“It is true that Maduro is an illegitimate leader who brutally oppressed the people of Venezuela. What is also true is that Trump did not act in defense of democracy today. He has lied repeatedly and shamelessly to the American people while preparing for this invasion. And now, he has unilaterally sent servicemembers to war seeking regime change.

“We have been told again and again that this is about drug trafficking. Meanwhile, Trump pardoned the former Honduran president, a convicted drug trafficker who helped smuggle hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States. And today, he was explicit about his true motivations — this is about oil. We do not need to look far into our past to see the peril of regime change in pursuit of oil riches. In fact, we need only ask the hundreds of thousands of American troops whose lives were forever affected or the families of those who never returned home.

“The American people deserve better. They deserve better than a president who puts the safety of our servicemembers at risk. They deserve better than reckless decisions that use the lives of young Americans as collateral damage in the pursuit of profit for the wealthy few. 

“Our Constitution states very clearly that only Congress has the power to declare war. Democrats will continue to demand answers and accountability. The House and Senate must be briefed immediately on this unauthorized use of military action and what comes next.”