[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[House]
[Pages H137-H138]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          LESSONS FROM CARACAS

  (Mr. McClintock of California was recognized to address the House for 
5 minutes.)
  Mr. McCLINTOCK. Mr. Speaker, there is much to unpack from the arrest 
of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Above all, there is the stark 
contrast between the American socialists who are bitterly denouncing 
the ouster of this socialist dictator and the masses of ordinary 
Venezuelans celebrating their deliverance from him.
  Socialism under Chavez and Maduro utterly destroyed the prosperity 
and freedom of Venezuela, reducing it from one of the wealthiest 
nations in the world to one of the poorest. Like all socialist regimes, 
the Chavistas depend on brutal intimidation, terrorism, and violence to 
maintain their grip on power. A third of the population has now fled 
that afflicted nation. With Maduro's ouster, this diaspora of 
socialism's victims finally see a cause for hope, and they are 
rejoicing in the streets.
  This should be a warning to our fellow Americans who today are 
flirting with the same socialist movement in our own country. It has 
long been foretold that when socialism comes to America, it will come 
as a smile.
  Venezuelans are not the first to be seduced by the siren song of a 
benevolent and all-powerful government. Like every people who have 
blundered down that road, they awakened one morning to find the 
benevolence was gone and the all-powerful government was still there. 
Let that be a lesson to our misguided countrymen.
  This should also be a warning to our adversaries around the world 
that the Monroe Doctrine has been revived and that America is again 
willing and capable of defending the New World from the intrigues of 
the old.
  Every thug and despot around the world has new reason to fear the 
ancient warning: sic semper tyrannis.
  Mr. Speaker, has the President acted within his inherent authority as 
Commander in Chief? The Federal courts have already answered that 
question time and again including the attacks on Libya by Obama and the 
arrest of Noriega by Bush. They have consistently ruled that these 
nearly identical precedents were within the prerogatives of the 
President and that Congress just as consistently has acquiesced.
  As law professor Jonathan Turley put it: ``If Obama can vaporize an 
American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a 
foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior 
congressional approval.''
  This is an important debate that goes to the heart of the separation 
of powers and one that we ought to have. The Constitutional Convention 
originally considered giving Congress the exclusive power to make war. 
Elbridge Gerry successfully replaced ``make war'' with ``declare war.''
  Madison explained this distinction as ``leaving to the executive the 
power to repel sudden attacks.'' That distinction has been widened over 
the centuries, and perhaps it is time to take a fresh look at this 
question of what distinguishes declaring war from making war.
  In 1847, Congressman Abraham Lincoln addressed this very point and 
unsuccessfully argued that once the executive initiates a hostile act 
against a foreign power, it has, in fact, declared war by giving that 
power casus belli. He said that reacting to a military attack is one 
thing, but initiating an attack is quite another.
  Personally, I think he had a point. I disagree with the current 
precedents, although I find it hard to fault the President from acting 
within them.
  Restoring the many guardrails that separate executive, legislative, 
and judicial powers in our Constitution would be a fitting way for 
Congress to celebrate our Nation's 250th anniversary. The Supreme Court 
is doing its part by restoring the President's exclusive control over 
executive agencies, and perhaps it will soon restore Congress' 
exclusive control over tariffs. I certainly hope so.
  Reasserting Congress' supremacy and the momentous question of war and 
peace will require a serious and sober discussion in Congress. When I 
hear the hyperbolic and hyperpartisan rhetoric of the Democrats in this 
House with their hatred of Donald Trump dripping from every word, I 
fear that discussion

[[Page H138]]

must await calmer times, cooler heads, and wiser voices.
  In the meantime, let us rejoice in the fruits of this action. They 
include the removal of the worst despot in the Western Hemisphere; the 
revival of the Monroe Doctrine; the ejection of malignant powers 
insinuating themselves into Latin America; the unmistakable warning to 
tyrants around the world that America is back; the triumph of American 
arms; and most of all, setting the stage for the return of liberty, 
justice, and prosperity to the people of Venezuela.

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