WASHINGTON — The fallout from the Trump administration’s capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro will seep into Congress’s first week as lawmakers strike opposing views on Congress’ oversight role.
Alabama Republicans swiftly praised the arrest of the autocratic leader, who pleaded not guilty to narco-terrorism charges during a New York court appearance Monday.
The White House did not notify federal lawmakers ahead of Saturday’s raid in Venezuela. The state’s Republican lawmakers did not criticize the administration for their failure to do so, while Democrats did. All members of Congress will get briefed on the military action in Vezenula later this week.
House Armed Services Chairman Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Saks, who was one of the members briefed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other Trump officials on the military operation at the Capitol Monday, issued a strong statement of support for the move.
“I commend President Trump for taking decisive action to bring Nicolás Maduro to justice,” Rogers said over the weekend. “His illegitimate regime brutalized the Venezuelan people, aligned with hostile adversaries like Cuba, Iran, Russia and China to threaten U.S. security, and operated a narco-terrorist network that flooded our country with deadly drugs that killed countless Americans.”
Rogers also commended the service members involved in the raid.
During a press conference at Mar-a-Lago Saturday, Trump said the administration declined to alert Congress because lawmakers have a “tendency to leak.”
This week, Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia plans to force a vote on his war powers resolution that would block the U.S. from military operations in Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.
U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt have shown their staunch support of Maduro’s seizure.
Tuberville, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told reporters in Alabama on Monday that he was “all for” the operation in Venezuela. He added that Trump was not interested in “controlling” the country.
“We have had a lot of people come here from Venezuela for the right reasons, getting away from that regime,” Tuberville said. “They’d love to go home. Now, I think they’re gonna have a chance to go home.”
In an interview on Fox Business Sunday, Britt applauded the Trump administration’s mission to capture Maduro and take action against narco-terrorism.
“There is no doubt that Americans are safer and more secure because of President Trump’s actions,” Britt said. “I am so grateful that we finally have a commander in chief that is willing to put the safety and security of this country first, put it front and center.”
U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, D-Birmingham, highlighted how Maduro is an “illegitimate and corrupt leader” but argued that the president did “NOT have the authority to unilaterally invade a sovereign country.”
“His reckless actions threaten to further destabilize the region and put our troops in harm’s way while dragging us into another regime-change war against the will of the American people,” Sewell said in a statement.
The congresswoman added that not seeking congressional approval is “extremely alarming.”
Rep. Shomari Figures, D-Mobile, also criticized Trump’s comments about the United States’ plan to “run” Venezuela after the raid. Appearing on NBC’s Meet the Press, Rubio clarified that the United States will be “running policy.”
Rep. Robbert Aderholt, R-Haleyville, emphasized the need for American intervention in international drug trafficking networks.
“America cannot turn a blind eye when foreign regimes enable the flow of deadly narcotics and partner with criminal organizations that destabilize our hemisphere,” Aderholt said in a statement. “Justice must be pursued, and accountability must be real.”