By Emmanuel Bobby
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Jan. 4 that the Senate is expected to vote on whether to formally authorize the U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Speaking on ABC News’ This Week, Schumer said Congress has the authority to act under the War Powers Act and stressed that Republicans cannot prevent such a resolution from reaching the Senate floor.
Schumer said he is sponsoring the measure alongside Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and that it is expected to be brought up for a vote this week. If passed by both chambers, the resolution would bar the president from taking further military action in Venezuela without explicit congressional approval. Democrats would need at least three Republican votes for the measure to succeed.
“Maduro is a horrible, horrible person,” Schumer said, “but you don’t treat lawlessness with other lawlessness.” He argued that the U.S. government lacks the legal authority to conduct a military operation inside Venezuela without prior approval from Congress, calling the action a violation of the law.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) echoed that view the same day, voicing support for a resolution addressing the use of military force in Venezuela. Speaking on Meet the Press, Jeffries said lawmakers must ensure that no additional military steps are taken without clear authorization from Congress.
Maduro and his wife were captured overnight and transported from their residence on a military base to the United States, where they are expected to face charges under a Justice Department indictment alleging participation in a narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Republicans were divided, with several backing the operation as lawful. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said the action could fall under the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent threat.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a Jan. 4 interview that he supported the operation, arguing that Venezuela must halt drug and weapons trafficking and expel foreign actors, including Iranian and Cuban forces, as well as extremist groups, to return to stability.
A plane carrying the deposed Venezuelan leader landed on Jan. 3 at an airport north of New York City. Maduro was escorted off the aircraft by federal agents and taken into custody.
President Donald Trump said during a Jan. 3 news conference at Mar-a-Lago that the United States would temporarily administer Venezuela until a “safe, proper, and judicious transition” could be achieved. He described the mission as an “extremely successful operation” and warned that it should serve as a deterrent to anyone threatening American sovereignty or lives.
In late 2025, the State Department designated the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization, accusing Maduro of leading the group. Secretary of State Marco Rubio later said Maduro used Venezuela as a major transit hub for drug trafficking into the United States.
Maduro was previously indicted in U.S. federal court in 2020, during Trump’s first term, on charges of conspiring with Colombian terrorist groups to traffic cocaine into the United States.
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