Matsui Calls Trump’s Venezuela Military Action an ‘Unauthorized Act of War,’ Warns of Dangerous Precedent
Trump announced earlier Saturday that U.S. forces carried out strikes in Venezuela, capturing Nicolás Maduro and his wife
Rep. Doris Matsui sharply rebuked President Donald Trump’s military operation in Venezuela on Saturday, denouncing the deployment of U.S. forces to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro as an “unauthorized act of war” that bypassed Congress and risked entangling the nation in “a broader conflict.”
In a statement issued from her Washington office, the Sacramento-area Democrat said the Trump administration’s decision to send troops without congressional authorization was “illegal, reckless, and risks entangling the United States in a broader conflict that doesn’t make America or the world safer.” Matsui added that while Maduro has “inflicted incalculable harm on his people,” recognizing his corrupt rule “does not excuse the method by which he was removed.”
“Military conflict should be a last resort, not an impulsive tool of foreign policy,” Matsui said. “Acting without congressional authorization is illegal… and establish[es] a dangerous precedent.”
Trump announced earlier Saturday that U.S. forces carried out strikes in Venezuela, capturing Maduro and his wife, and that the United States would temporarily govern the country until a transition to a new leadership could be secured. The president also emphasized a significant future role for U.S. oil companies in Venezuela’s petroleum sector, saying American firms would help “fix the badly broken infrastructure,” a statement that underscores strategic interest in the country’s vast oil reserves.
The intervention represents the most direct U.S. military action in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, and Trump’s comments about involvement in Venezuela’s oil industry have drawn both support and criticism, as questions mount over the legality and long-term implications of the operation.
Matsui’s remarks reflect growing Democratic concern about executive authority in foreign engagements, particularly when military force is used without explicit congressional approval, as required by the U.S. Constitution. Congressional leaders have called for briefings on the legal basis for the strikes and plans for U.S. involvement.
