They warn of an unconstitutional war aimed at controlling energy resources.
On Tuesday, several U.S. lawmakers rejected President Donald Trump’s decision to move toward a total military and naval blockade of Venezuela.
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“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before — until such time as they return to the United States of America all of the oil, land, and other assets that they previously stole from us,” the Republican leader posted on social media.
Lawmakers warned that the current U.S. military escalation is aimed at forcing “regime change” in the South American nation and seizing its energy resources.
“Deeply alarming. Donald Trump is preparing for a regime change war in Venezuela — a war that the American people don’t want and that Congress hasn’t authorized. This is reckless and criminal,” Rep. Yassamin Ansari said on social media.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen said the narrative of combating drug trafficking is a pretext to conceal military actions whose ultimate goal is the appropriation of Venezuela’s natural resources.
“As I’ve said, Trump’s warmongering with Venezuela is not about stopping drug traffickers. The real goal: regime change to grab Venezuelan oil and gas reserves for his billionaire buddies. Putting Americans in harm’s way for the thing Trump cares about most — profits,” Van Hollen said, referring to the U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean and the threat to seize Venezuelan oil tankers in international waters.
🚨🇺🇸 BREAKING — Trump’s Illegal War on Venezuela Has Cost US Taxpayers $800,000,000 and It Hasn’t Even Started. pic.twitter.com/w3euUTxyLB
— Pamphlets (@PamphletsY) December 17, 2025
The criticism comes as Trump faces a growing loss of support at home due to the consequences of his international economic policy and the scandal surrounding the Epstein documents.
“The year before Trump took office, the U.S. averaged plus-168,000 jobs per month. It added just 119,000 jobs total in seven months since Trump’s tariffs began. The unemployment rate just hit its highest level in more than four years. Even Trump’s chief of staff admits his tariffs hurt our economy,” Rep. Don Beyer recalled.
“The lives of American soldiers should not be risked in an illegal war with Venezuela for regime change, or for oil, or on any other pretext,” he said.
The escalation of U.S. aggression against Venezuela is being described as a distraction from domestic economic difficulties and as opening the door to an unconstitutional military confrontation because it lacks authorization from the U.S. Congress.
In late October, Sen. Bernie Sanders had already warned about the situation. “Trump is illegally threatening war with Venezuela — after killing more than 50 people in unauthorized strikes at sea. The Constitution is clear: Only Congress can declare war. Congress must defend the law and end Trump’s militarism,” he said.
“Health care costs are soaring. Housing costs are soaring. Grocery costs are soaring. No. We do not need Trump to take us into an illegal and unconstitutional war with Venezuela to deflect attention away from the crises our country faces. What happened to ‘America First?’” Sanders asked on Dec. 13.
People in the U.S. do not want a war in Venezuela.
On the latest episode of Empire on the Rocks, Medea Benjamin and Marcy Winograd talk about the congressional investigations on Trump’s illegal attacks in the Caribbean. pic.twitter.com/kkbXeW1L6m
— CODEPINK (@codepink) December 17, 2025
Statements by Sanders, Ansari, Beyer and Van Hollen reflect growing unease within the U.S. political class following Trump’s announcement that he would block the entry and exit of Venezuelan oil tankers, a decision the Bolivarian government has denounced as an act of international piracy.
U.S. citizens have also warned that a war in the Caribbean would not only be illegal but also politically costly and morally indefensible. They have further cautioned that U.S. military actions against Venezuela could escalate to uncontrollable levels. In that context, CodePink sharply criticized the threatening and arbitrary tone of Trump’s latest statements.
“Claiming that Venezuela is ‘surrounded by the largest armada ever assembled’ and promising a ‘shock like nothing they have ever seen’ is an explicit threat of force designed to compel submission. Announcing a ‘total and complete blockade’ of Venezuelan oil tankers is, under international law, an act of war,” the progressive organization said.
“Trump’s assertion that Venezuela must ‘return’ oil, land, and other assets to the United States exposes the true objective of the recent aggression. Venezuela did not steal anything from the United States. What Trump describes as ‘theft’ is Venezuela’s lawful assertion of sovereignty over its own natural resources and its refusal to allow U.S. corporations to control its economy. Hands off Venezuela!” CodePink said.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | United States: Senior Democratic lawmakers condemned the increasingly aggressive military actions of President Donald Trump’s administration in the Caribbean, following the seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker off the South American country’s coast. pic.twitter.com/RcdDqwWDlJ
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025
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