[Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 5 (Thursday, January 8, 2026)]
[Senate]
[Pages S105-S106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]



                                Venezuela

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I am beyond outraged that President Trump 
would commit such a brazen act of war as he has done in Venezuela with 
absolutely no notice, except to the oil companies and newspapers they 
leaked it to. No consultation with Congress, no legitimate 
justification for these unauthorized strikes, nor any kind of serious 
long-term strategy.
  It is unquestionably an act of war to invade a foreign nation, kidnap 
a foreign leader--even a dictator--and leave dozens of bodies, 
including civilians, behind.
  Would my colleagues still nod their heads and go along with it if a 
country tried to do this to American leaders? Of course not. So we 
should stop playing dumb. Trump can't just say magic words and pretend 
this wasn't a major military operation.
  This is the U.S. Congress, and we have a constitutional role to be a 
check on the President. Only Congress can declare war, and Congress did 
not authorize the use of force against Venezuela.
  Now, I opposed the war in Iraq from the outset. And the parallels to 
what President Trump has kicked off in Venezuela are glaring. And I 
absolutely will not support any large-scale military conflict in 
Venezuela or a dangerous and expansive occupation.
  We have a President ignoring the problems that he has caused in our 
own country, all to start a war no one asked for, with no legitimate 
justification, no concern for the servicemembers who are being put in 
harm's way, and absolutely no long-term strategy.
  Seriously, the only thing that was clear after the briefing yesterday 
is that Trump has no serious plan. First, Trump was just bombing 
alleged drug boats. Then Trump was just seizing oil shipments. And the 
next thing you know, this administration is sending the military to 
abduct a foreign leader.
  So I have to ask: What is next and where is next? How far is this 
going to go? Because it is clear that this is not over, not when Trump 
keeps saying he will run the country.
  What is Trump's plan to run Venezuela exactly? How long are we going 
to be there? How many of our people is he going to send? Who is even in 
charge? And how are we paying for this?
  There are no serious answers. The only thing we do know is why Trump 
is doing this--for oil--because this clearly is not about ending 
tyranny and establishing a democracy since Trump outright dismissed any 
possibility of helping the opposition party to build a true democracy. 
And it is clearly not about drug trafficking. After all, not even a 
month before this, President Trump pardoned the former President of 
Honduras who was convicted of the same crime. But the real reason--it 
is so painfully obvious--this was always about the oil.
  Why? Well, it is pretty simple. Trump keeps saying it. He literally 
said:

       The difference between Iraq and this is that Bush didn't 
     keep the oil. We're going to keep the oil.

  That was the President. Is this ``America First''? Of course not. It 
is ``Big Oil Barons First.'' It is ``Billionaires First.'' It is 
``Trump First.'' First to rake in profits, mind you, not first to put 
themselves in harm's way.
  And you can bet when Trump says he is not worried about boots on the 
ground, it is because he is not talking about his boots. He is not 
talking about his kids. He is talking about yours.
  Congress cannot stand by and shrug our shoulders. We have a 
constitutional responsibility here. It is important that a majority of 
Senators voted to rein in this President's reckless actions. But if we 
want to put an end to this warmongering, we need to keep pressing until 
we have a veto-proof majority. Today's vote is not the end of the line. 
So I urge all my colleagues to join us in asserting our authority and 
continuing to send President Trump a simple message: No American boots 
on the ground. No trading blood for oil. No war.
  I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Kansas.

[[Page S106]]

  

  Mr. MARSHALL. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent to use a prop 
during my remarks.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.