Rep. Mike Levin’s Statement on U.S. Military Operations in Venezuela
Carlsbad, CA—Today, Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49) released the following statement regarding the U.S. military operations in Venezuela and the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro:
“Nicolas Maduro was an illegitimate authoritarian ruler who dismantled Venezuela’s democratic institutions and presided over repression, corruption, and economic collapse. Millions of Venezuelans have paid the price, and their country is better off without him. But that reality does not relieve the Trump Administration of its constitutional obligations.
“I want to thank the men and women of our military and intelligence community for their professionalism and courage, and I am relieved that no American service members were killed. My gratitude, however, does not change that the President did not come to Congress to present a legal and strategic justification or seek the authorization the Constitution requires. That failure risks drawing the United States deeper into an unauthorized conflict, without the consent of the American people or their elected representatives.
“The President stated that the United States is now ‘running’ Venezuela. Under the Constitution and international law, administering or governing a foreign country constitutes an act of war and occupation, not a law-enforcement action. Such an undertaking requires explicit congressional authorization and clear legal authority. Neither has been provided.
“No indictment gives an American president unilateral power to assume control of another country. To date, the Administration has not articulated a lawful basis for large-scale U.S. military action in Venezuela. Article I of the Constitution assigns the authority to authorize war and sustained hostilities to Congress. Absent a sudden or imminent attack on the United States or U.S. forces, the President does not have that authority.
“These concerns are compounded by the fact that senior Administration officials, including Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, briefed Members of Congress just weeks ago and did not request authorization for the use of force or disclose plans for regime change. Congress was sidelined from a decision of war and peace.
“The Administration has also attempted to characterize this operation as a law-enforcement or counternarcotics effort. That claim lacks credibility, particularly in light of the President’s recent pardon of a former Honduran president who was convicted in U.S. court of major drug trafficking offenses.
“Finally, the President’s public statements emphasizing Venezuela’s oil interests strip away any remaining pretense that this was a narrow enforcement action. Securing access to another country’s oil is not a lawful basis for the use of military force under the Constitution, nor is it recognized as a justification under international law.
“American history is clear that interventions undertaken without congressional authorization lead to instability and lasting damage to U.S. credibility. Bypassing Congress does not make America stronger. It makes our power less legitimate and our outcomes more dangerous.”
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