Early Saturday morning, American strikes were carried out on Venezuela’s capital that killed civilians and resulted in the capture of the country’s sitting president, Nicolás Maduro, as well as his wife.
This comes as tensions have escalated between America and Venezuela around the end of 2025, with U.S. forces conducting strikes on various alleged drug boats in international waters.
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The Trump administration’s primary reasoning for the escalating tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela has to do with alleged drug trafficking coming from the country, as well as an interest in its oil distribution. Maduro and his wife were indicted in New York on narco-terrorism charges.
In Virginia, various lawmakers had a lot to say about the military action, including U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both D-Va:
“Our Constitution places the gravest decisions about the use of military force in the hands of Congress for a reason. Using military force to enact regime change demands the closest scrutiny, precisely because the consequences do not end with the initial strike.
“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership? What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president? Once this line is crossed, the rules that restrain global chaos begin to collapse, and authoritarian regimes will be the first to exploit it.
“None of this absolves Maduro. He is a corrupt authoritarian who has repressed his people, stolen elections, imprisoned political opponents, and presided over a humanitarian catastrophe that has forced millions of Venezuelans to flee. The Venezuelan people deserve democratic leadership, and the United States and the international community should have done far more, years ago, to press for a peaceful transition after Maduro lost a vote of his own citizens. But recognizing Maduro’s crimes does not give any president the authority to ignore the Constitution.
“The hypocrisy underlying this decision is especially glaring. This same president recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted in a U.S. court on serious drug trafficking charges, including conspiring with narcotics traffickers while in office. Yet now, the administration claims that similar allegations justify the use of military force against another sovereign nation. You cannot credibly argue that drug trafficking charges demand invasion in one case, while issuing a pardon in another.
“America’s strength comes from our commitment to the rule of law, democratic norms, and constitutional restraint. When we abandon those principles, even in the name of confronting bad actors, we weaken our credibility, endanger global stability, and invite abuses of power that will long outlast any single presidency.”
U.S. Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va
“President Trump’s unauthorized military attack on Venezuela to arrest Maduro—however terrible he is—is a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate the internal political affairs of all nations in the Western Hemisphere. That history is replete with failures, and doubling down on it makes it difficult to make the claim with a straight face that other countries should respect the United States’ sovereignty when we do not do the same.
“Where will this go next? Will the President deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce the fragile ceasefire in Gaza? To battle terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans peacefully assembling to protest his policies? Trump has threatened to do all this and more and sees no need to seek legal authorization from people’s elected legislature before putting servicemembers at risk.
“It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade. My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week. We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.
The criticism of the strikes was largely along party lines, as Republican legislators congratulated President Trump on the move. Gov. Glenn Youngkin and Attorney General Jason Miyares, both R-Va, highlighted Venezuela’s authoritarian government and congratulated the president:
“Nicolás Maduro’s abuses have harmed Venezuelans and Americans for too long. Accountability for these crimes protects Americans first and foremost, and strengthens democracy and security across the Western Hemisphere. And a huge thank you to our heroic U.S. military—the best in the world."
Gov. Glenn Youngkin, R-Va.
“Wonderful for the Venezuelan people to see the arrest of their socialist, narco-terrorist dictator Maduro. Before the socialists took power, Venezuela was one of the richest counties in Latin America. After years of ruin, it’s one of the poorest. #VenezuelaLibre !!!"
Attorney General Jason Miyares, R-Va.
As of noon on Saturday, the only Southwest Virginia U.S. Representative to make an official statement was U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va, of the 6th District:
“Under President Trump’s leadership, the United States acted boldly to confront narco-terrorism in Venezuela. I commend [Secretary of State Marco Rubio], [Secretary of War Pete Hegseth], and the brave men and women of our U.S. military who executed this mission.American strength is back. Our message is clear: we will defend our security and lead with resolve.”
U.S. Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va.
You can stay up to date on the latest on Venezuela here.