‘What comes next?’ Democrats warn U.S. could be walking into a quagmire after Maduro capture
What is the United States getting itself into after seizing Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — was a question multiple Democratic members of Illinois’ congressional delegation were asking Saturday.
“The American people believed Donald Trump when he promised on the campaign trail that he would get our nation out of foreign wars, but this morning we awoke to another stark reminder that he is — and has always been — a liar who has never cared about keeping his promises,” U.S. Sen. Tammy Duckworth said in a statement.
“The Constitution requires the American people, through their elected representatives in Congress, to authorize any president to engage in acts of war — because they will be the ones to live with the consequences of the decision,” said Duckworth, a Hoffman Estates combat veteran.
Elite U.S. forces dispatched by Trump captured Maduro and his wife overnight from their home at a military base in Caracas. They are being transported by a warship to New York where the couple will stand trial. Trump said the action will restore prosperity to the country with American oil companies moving in to increase production.
Lawmakers divided on partisan lines over Trump’s high-stakes move, but all agreed Maduro was contemptible. Several lawmakers noted Maduro was indicted in U.S. Court for drug trafficking, stole the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, and called him a “dictator,” “thug,” and “narcoterrorist.”
However, “those facts alone, however, do not relieve President Trump of his constitutional obligations or give him blanket authority to send the U.S. military into a foreign land,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Highland Park said in a statement.
“The president must also present Congress with a credible strategy for what comes next. The administration needs to explain how it intends to prevent Venezuela from further collapsing, becoming a failed state, and potentially destabilizing the entire region.”
Trump indicated a team including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth would manage Venezuela in the interim and the U.S. would be compensated with oil proceeds.
“The last thing the American people want is to be involved in another forever war,” Democratic U.S. Rep. Mike Quigley of Chicago said.
“Congress must demand that Trump receive congressional authority before any additional actions in Venezuela. It is time to restore the authority of the Constitution.”
Democratic U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez of Chicago charged that the White House wanted to “seize Venezuelan oil and pursue regime change in line with their imperialistic agenda in the Western Hemisphere.”
But Peoria Republican U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood of Peoria posted on X, “God bless our brave U.S. Special Forces.”
“Venezuela and the region will be a better place without this illegitimate dictator,” he said.
And, Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Bost of Murphysboro praised Trump’s “decisive action” to reduce drug trafficking, and posted “I pray the Venezuelan people seize this opportunity to restore democracy and freedom in their country.”
Democratic rivals for U.S. Senate in the March primary, U.S. Reps. Robin Kelly of Lynwood and Raja Krishnamoorthi of Schaumburg and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton also weighed in.
“By acting without congressional authorization and publicly asserting U.S. control over another sovereign nation, President Trump is abusing presidential power,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement. “The administration must immediately account for the safety of U.S. personnel, disclose whether there were any casualties, and fully and immediately brief Congress.”
Kelly demanded a vote on the War Powers Resolution to “stop further military action without congressional approval.
“The American people did not ask to be involved in another foreign conflict, but President Trump now wants to ‘run the country.’ The president needs to stop acting like a dictator and start improving the lives of Americans,” she said in a statement.
Stratton commented on X that “nearly a year into Trump's administration and all we’ve seen are broken promises. His actions are endangering the American people and he must be held accountable.”
Meanwhile, Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker remarked on X that Trump’s “unconstitutional military action in Venezuela is putting our troops in harm’s way with no long-term strategy. The American people deserve a president focused on making their lives more affordable.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey countered in a post that “JB is busy carrying water for a communist dictator abroad while Illinois families get crushed by groceries, rent, taxes and businesses flee. Now he wants to be president.”