Representative Katherine Clark
Massachusetts 5th congressional district
“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.”
Representative Lori Trahan
Massachusetts 3rd congressional district
Maduro is a dictator whose brutal, antidemocratic rule has brought immense suffering to the Venezuelan people. His repression and corruption are well documented and deserve condemnation. Acknowledging that reality does not justify the Trump administration bypassing Congress, putting our brave service men and women in harm’s way, or spending billions of taxpayer dollars on regime change in South America.
No amount of conjecture from the Trump administration excuses ignoring the most pressing challenges facing hardworking families here at home. While this administration diverts immense resources into another foreign conflict, Americans continue to struggle with the skyrocketing cost of health care, groceries, and utilities. That is where our focus should be.
Congress must be briefed immediately on the legal justification for this attack, the cost to American taxpayers, and the administration’s strategy and path forward in Venezuela and across the region.
Senator Ed Markey
Massachusetts.
The Trump administration is lying to Congress and ignoring our constitutionally required approval for military action. This is what dictators do.
This war is not just unjustified—it is unauthorized.
Trump’s attack on Venezuela puts American lives in danger, destabilizes the region, and risks another endless war.
Congress must get answers. The American people must get answers. And Trump must be held to account for this reckless, illegal act of war.
Senator Elizabeth Warren
Massachusetts
President Trump's unilateral military action to attack another country and seize Maduro - no matter how terrible a dictator he is - is unconstitutional and threatens to drag the U.S. into further conflicts in the region. What does it mean that the U.S. will 'run' Venezuela, and what will Trump do next around the world? The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump's dangerous military adventurism overseas that won't make the American people safer.
It’s important to amplify democratic elected officials who stand in opposition to this attack on Venezuela.
I’ll add more statements as comments as I find them.
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Original story HERE.