Yesterday, Representative Ronny Jackson of Texas’ 13th district expressed support for President Trump’s recent actions in Venezuela, describing them as efforts to secure the Western Hemisphere for Americans.
Lawmakers returned to Washington seeking clarification on the administration’s policy following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife by U.S. forces. The White House scheduled a briefing with congressional leaders, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other top officials, to address questions about the operation.
Some members of Congress raised concerns about not being informed ahead of time. Senator Susan Collins criticized the lack of advance notice, stating on X that “Congress should have been informed about the operation earlier and needs to be involved as this situation evolves.” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries argued that only Congress has the authority to declare war, saying, “Maduro’s capture was a military action, and pursuant to the Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war.”
The administration maintained that it viewed the mission as a law enforcement operation rather than an act of war. Secretary Rubio said prior notification was not possible due to operational security concerns: “This is not the kind of mission you can pre-notify.” President Trump cited concerns over potential leaks from Congress as a reason for withholding information in advance.
Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores pleaded not guilty in a New York federal court to charges related to drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Senator Tom Cotton supported the administration’s approach, noting regular communication with senior officials. He stated, “Congress has acted to provide the president the resources and authority that he needs to protect the vital interests of the United States… he has the inherent authority under the constitution to protect these American national interests.”
However, some Democrats expressed frustration over lack of outreach from the administration. Representative Jim Himes commented sarcastically on Face The Nation about limited communication with Democratic lawmakers.
The War Powers Resolution requires presidential notification within 48 hours when deploying military force. Senator James Lankford noted that while he was aware an operation was planned, details were closely held: “We knew a lot of the operation was being planned. We didn’t know the day. We didn’t know exactly how they were going to actually do that.”
Representative Ronny Jackson told The Daily Signal he agrees with viewing the strike as a law enforcement action: “President Trump is demonstrating that peace through strength means acting decisively in the best interest of America while making clear this is not a war against the nation of Venezuela, but a commitment to keeping the Western Hemisphere secure for the American people.” He added America’s focus is to “protect our homeland by dismantling drug trafficking networks, expel anti-American influence from our hemisphere, and prevent Venezuela’s resources from funding hostile regimes.”
Jackson currently serves in Congress representing Texas’ 13th district after replacing Mac Thornberry in 2021. In previous elections, Jackson won significant majorities against his opponents—defeating Kathleen Brow in 2022 with over 75% of votes and Gus Trujillo in 2020 with nearly 80%.
Senator Lankford also compared this action to past operations targeting cartel leaders: “This was not a military operation in the sense of going and taking over… This is not initiating a war. This is an arrest that’s happening, again, similar to what we did with [Mexican drug cartel leader] El Chapo and others on this.”
