Congress Must Invoke War Powers Act to Stop War with Venezuela
Claims that Caracas poses a military threat to the American homeland are demonstrably false.
Current Venezuela discourse within the Trump administration is eerily reminiscent of the run-up to the Iraq war. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, and Fox News are beating the drums of war, perpetuating falsehoods that grossly exaggerate Venezuela’s threat to the U.S. Over the last few weeks, inaccurate claims that Caracas bears responsibility for America’s fentanyl crisis, supplies Hamas with uranium, or directly conspires against America with Iran and Hezbollah have become the new “Saddam has WMDs” deception to justify a sham war and regime change in Venezuela.
The constant peddling of such claims is slowly being normalized within the public psyche and has laid the groundwork for a series of extralegal military operations off Venezuela’s coastal waters under the guise of counter-narcoterrorism operations. Guardrails are needed, and fast. If Congress does not immediately assert its rightful authority, under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, to stop the escalating intervention, then the United States risks following the same dark path that laid the groundwork for the horrific invasion of Iraq.
A few days ago, a group of mostly House Democrats introduced a War Powers resolution to prevent unauthorized U.S. military action in Venezuela. That should not be viewed as a symbolic gesture, but a legitimate step toward emergency constitutional intervention. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 exists for this exact reason: to prevent U.S. presidents from unilaterally declaring war by imposing a series of congressional oversight mechanisms designed to prevent conflict and add transparency to the deliberation process. It also stipulates “the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of military action” and prohibits the use of the armed forces in such an action for more than 60 days (or up to 90 days with a withdrawal period) unless Congress has approved the action or issued a declaration of war.
Unfortunately, the War Powers Resolution, since being enshrined into U.S. law, has yet to prevent U.S. military operations or war. Given the number of bungled foreign policy decisions the United States has made in that time, now would be a great time for Congress to assert its authority over war-making and establish a new precedent within the executive branch’s strategic calculus going forward.
A true War Powers process would force the administration to back its claims. Congress could vet the veracity of the evidence and likely counter these claims with indisputable evidence that we all know is being ignored. In effect, invoking the War Powers Resolution would usher in much needed transparency to prove key points that would prevent Venezuela from becoming Iraq 2.0: Venezuela is not driving the fentanyl crisis, does not possess or transfer nuclear material to Hamas, and does not pose a military threat to the United States.
Consider first the faux fentanyl claims. The White House claims or strongly implies that Venezuela is behind major fentanyl trafficking into the United States and has used this point to justify its military strikes on small boats off the coast of Venezuela. A War Powers investigation would show that the DEA pinpointed Mexican cartels, with chemical components originating from China, as the main perpetrators behind the trafficking of illicit fentanyl into the United States. Simply put, fentanyl does not come from Venezuela.
The claim that Caracas is transferring nuclear material and/or knowhow to Hamas is equally without merit. The pro-war Rep. Maria Salazar (R-FL) appeared on Fox News and stated that Nicolás Maduro is supplying uranium to Hamas and other armed groups in the Middle East. But the fact is that Venezuela does not even have a nuclear weapons program.
Every false claim made about Venezuela recalls the cherry-picked intelligence used to manufacture consent for the Iraq war by depicting Saddam Hussein as being in cahoots with terrorists and possessing weapons of mass destruction. Rubio, for example, has been pontificating about Maduro’s alleged ties to Iran and Hezbollah. The secretary of state hasn’t provided any evidence that Maduro’s regime is conspiring with Iranian and Hezbollah forces to threaten the U.S. What we do know, however, is that Rubio is one of the most hawkish forces within the Trump administration and has been one of the biggest proponents for regime change in Venezuela.
Rubio is not the only figure in the administration who would be curbed by a War Powers Resolution. Over the last few months, the U.S. has carried out over 22 military strikes off the coast of Latin America, killing 86 people in what it deems counter narco-terror operations. Hegseth has reportedly been the one of the main architects of these strikes, including the ones on boats off the Venezuelan coast, drawing the ire of Congress in the process. The strikes have prompted many to assert the possibility that the U.S. may have violated both U.S. and international maritime law.
One reason Republican lawmakers should support a War Powers resolution to stop intervention in Venezuela is that the White House unilaterally declaring war against Caracas is antithetical to the “America First” movement. Seventy percent of Americans oppose a war with Venezuela, and Americans would rather see their tax dollars spent on reviving the American Dream and improving the quality of life in the United States, rather than fueling the military-industrial complex. If Congress fails to invoke War Powers—or if Trump subsequently ignores such an invocation—this would be a continued betrayal of the ideals that the president has long championed.
Even more so, an unnecessary war against Venezuela runs counter to Trump’s electoral promise, emphasized in his second inaugural address, that he would be a peacemaker. Over the last year, this pledge has been strained in the Middle East. The United States continues to be attached at the hip to Israel, which has now expanded its military operations from the West Bank and Gaza into Syria and South Lebanon, all while possibly gearing up for round two with Iran. Moreover, the U.S. has repeatedly bombed Somalia under Trump. What exactly has the U.S. gained from all of this? Nothing that benefits ordinary Americans.
Now, more than ever, the United States needs the War Powers Resolution as a constraining mechanism against forces who do not prioritize American interests, constitutional principles, or global stability.
The post Congress Must Invoke War Powers Act to Stop War with Venezuela appeared first on The American Conservative.
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