Today January 3, 2026, 05:00 PM
Today January 3, 2026, 05:00 PM
While many Southern California lawmakers were quick to condemn Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s tenure, they split along party lines about just how the U.S. captured the South American country’s leader early Saturday.
Democrats largely decried President Donald Trump‘s military action without congressional approval — and said they are concerned about what happens next.
“Nicolás Maduro is a brutal, corrupt, violent dictator. His illegitimate rule has terrorized the people of Venezuela and made the region and the world less safe. Venezuelans deserve peace, freedom, stability and legitimate democracy,” said Rep. Derek Tran, a Democrat who represents communities in Orange and Los Angeles counties.
But Tran, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, said he is concerned by the “unilateral military action” without congressional approval or input, calling it “illegal.”
“It will further destabilize the region, risk alienating our allies and limit our ability to counter terrorism and drug trafficking,” Tran said.
Trump, in a news conference Saturday morning, said the U.S. will “run” Venezuela until a transition of power can occur. He said his administration could not inform Congress because “Congress has the tendency to leak, and that would not be very good.”
Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Corona, said he had spoken to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier in the day, congratulating him on a military operation with no American service members killed, according to U.S. officials.
Calvert applauded the action, calling Maduro — who was captured along with his wife, Cilia Flores, and will face narco-terrorism, cocaine importation and other charges in the U.S. — “responsible for the deaths of many Americans.”
“As President Trump has stated this morning, the United States will facilitate a safe, proper and judicious transition of power in Venezuela,” Calvert said in a statement. “The people of Venezuela, who were oppressed under the Maduro regime, now have an opportunity for a brighter future that they should shape in a free, democratic and propserous manner.”
Yet, other lawmakers in heavily Democratic Southern California expressed apprehension about the aftermath of the operation, particularly if Americans will be sent to Venezuela for long periods of time.
The president, when asked for more details about how the U.S. would run the South American country, said, “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground.”
Rep. Lou Correa, D-Orange, called that a “hell of a statement.”
“We’re talking about starting to get ourselves in another Vietnam, in another Afghanistan, in another Iraq,” Correa said, referring to lengthy and deadly conflicts that have often been dubbed “forever wars” involving American troops. “I, as a member of Congress, am very hesitant to put boots on the ground in a foreign nation. You’re talking about putting American lives on the line in Venezuela.”
He went on to say he’s concerned not only about what an occupation will do to the U.S. national debt, but also about the possibility of retaliation in the form of a terrorist attack, particularly as the federal government has been so focused on deportations during the second Trump administration. The latter is a concern, he said he’s heard from constituents and fellow lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
“We just gave a bunch of people in Latin America a good reason to come after us,” Correa said.
“Donald Trump is the president of the United States; I respect that office,” he added. “I just want to know as a member of Congress what is next, what is the plan. … This was a very well-planned and executed military operation, but what comes after this?”
Find more early reactions from Southern California lawmakers below.
Sen. Adam Schiff, Democrat: “Nicolás Maduro was a thug and an illegitimate leader of Venezuela, terrorizing and oppressing its people for far too long and forcing many to leave the country. But starting a war to remove Maduro doesn’t just continue Donald Trump’s trampling of the Constitution, it further erodes America’s standing on the world stage and risks our adversaries mirroring this brazen illegal escalation.”
Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-San Bernardino: “President Maduro is an illegitimate ruler, full stop. But for months, the Trump administration and its senior officials, Secretary Hegseth and Secretary Rubio, have failed to adequately put forward any clear evidence that supports regime change or military action without congressional approval. In fact, both officials denied regime change was the goal multiple times to members on both sides of the aisle.
Now, it’s critical that the Trump administration immediately brief Congress on this operation, the plan for international coordination and most importantly, its plan to prevent a long occupation and ensure stability in Venezuela and for the entire region. The American people deserve answers immediately.”
Rep. Nanette Barragán, D-Carson: “Maduro is a bully and has long stood against American principles. But that does not give the president of the United States the right to storm another country, without congressional approval, and risk the lives of millions of Americans for his own greed and ambition.”
Rep. Judy Chu, D-Pasadena: “President Trump just bombed Venezuela and arrested its leader without any explanation to the American people and without authorization from Congress. Americans do not want another foreign regime change war launched in secret and without accountability. And Trump is setting an example to the world that it is acceptable for countries to unilaterally overthrow sovereign leaders. Congress must rein in this administration and stop it from dragging our country into another endless, unauthorized war.”
Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-Los Angeles: “While Maduro is an illegitimate leader, his government posed no imminent military threat to the United States. This action risks destabilizing Venezuela, plunging the country into chaos, and dragging the US into yet another endless war or open-ended nation-building effort.
For months, President Trump, who promised to be the most transparent president in U.S. history and to end foreign wars, misled the American people about his intentions. Congress and the American people deserve the truth, not another forever war launched in the dark.”
Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Bonsall: “Let’s unite to support President Trump’s strong foreign policy and America’s regional and national interests.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove, D- Los Angeles: “President Trump has not offered the American people any clear strategic objective for a U.S. invasion of Venezuela except to take over its oil reserves. Trump has repeatedly lied to Congress about his intentions — an evasion of accountability that has led the U.S. into prolonged military conflicts before. These military operations are a return to the same failed playbook of Cold War-era interventionism and regime change that decades later still hangs over — and will now re-poison — U.S. engagement in the region. And it emboldens autocrats around the world who can argue that invasions are an acceptable tool of foreign policy.”
Rep. Young Kim, R-Anaheim Hills: “Maduro was a brutal dictator and indicted narco-terrorist responsible for flooding our country with deadly drugs and contributing to countless American deaths. The Venezuelan people have suffered under his illegitimate rule for long enough. I’m glad he will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law and look forward to hearing more from the administration in the coming days and hours.”
Rep. Mike Levin, D-San Juan Capistrano: “There is no question that Nicolás Maduro ruled Venezuela through repression, corruption and the systematic dismantling of democratic institutions. Millions of Venezuelans have paid the price, and their country is better off without him. But even when confronting a dictator, the United States remains bound by its own Constitution.”
Rep. Dave Min, D-Irvine: “The Constitution is clear: Only Congress has the power to authorize war. Maduro is an illegitimate leader, but Donald Trump’s recklessness risks pulling the U.S. into another costly and deadly conflict. Every member of Congress must stand up to this blatant abuse of power.”
Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-Indio: “Trump’s war against Venezuela is illegal, and puts American service members in harm’s way. The Constitution requires congressional approval for war, and Trump did not seek it and does not have it. Trump and Republicans have stripped healthcare and food away from millions, raised costs through the Trump tariff tax and the Big Ugly Law in order to give billions of dollars in tax cuts to billionaires, and now they illegally start a war. Not good, not good at all!”
Rep. Mark Takano, D-Riverside: “President Trump is once again acting like a king. He just overthrew the Venezuelan government, dragging us into yet another foreign intervention without Congress’s approval. Republicans need to grow a spine and join us in demanding oversight and checking this imperial president.”
Rep. George Whitesides, D-Agua Dulce: “This morning, my thoughts are with the brave men and women of our armed forces, particularly those who were wounded in last night’s operation. Fidelity to our Constitution is our most sacred national value. The Administration’s actions last night in Venezuela were taken without consulting Congress.
Let’s be clear: Maduro is a criminal who has destroyed his country. But we cannot claim to uphold the rule of law while bypassing it. Article I of the Constitution is clear: the power to declare war and make rules regarding captures belongs to Congress, not the president. The Founding Fathers explicitly designed our system to prevent one person from holding the sole power to initiate conflict.”
