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Rep. Ro Khanna (D-California) has called on Congress to move to assert its war powers “every day this month” to stop President Donald Trump from invading more countries, including the six he has either threatened or attacked just in the past three weeks.
In a post on X, Khanna said, “As a response to the illegal strikes in Venezuela, Congress must force votes and debate every day this month on War Power Resolutions” aimed at preventing invasions of Cuba, Colombia, Greenland, Nigeria, Panama, and Iran.
In the two days following the Trump administration’s bombardment of Caracas and kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Trump has openly threatened five of these countries. He suggested that he would follow through on his fantasy of annexing Greenland, threatened Mexico and Colombia with similar military operations under the guise of ending drug trafficking in a manner similar to his abduction of Maduro, and said that Cuba is “ready to fall.”
Trump also repeated his threats to Iran, after saying on Truth Social last week that the U.S. is “locked and loaded” and prepared to attack the country in response to recent reports of protest suppression. On Monday, he signed a hat for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-South Carolina) that read “Make Iran Great Again.”
Meanwhile, on Christmas day, the Trump administration bombed Nigeria, after previously threatening to go into the country “guns-a-blazing” over a manufactured and unproven right wing narrative about Christian persecution.
“It is time for Congress to wake up & do our job,” Khanna said.
Maduro’s abduction and the bombardment of Venezuela, which Venezuelan officials say killed at least 80 people, has been roundly condemned as a dire violation of international law. Some lawmakers have also criticized the administration for overstepping congress’s authority to conduct acts of war, in violation of domestic law.
Axios reports that Rep. Jared Huffman (D-California) was one of several lawmakers to bring up impeachment this weekend, saying: “We are in 25th Amendment territory now.”
Like Khanna, other Democrats have urged fellow lawmakers to assert Congress’s war powers.
“The American people did not ask for this act of war to bring about regime change in Venezuela — nor did Congress authorize it,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) in a statement. “This is not about demolishing a dictatorship… This is about trying to grab Venezuela’s oil for Trump’s billionaire buddies.”
“Congress must immediately pass a War Powers Resolution to end this illegal military operation and reassert its constitutional responsibilities,” said Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) in a statement after the attack on Saturday. “This is rank imperialism. It recalls the darkest chapters of U.S. interventions in Latin America, which have left a terrible legacy. It will and should be condemned by the democratic world.”
However, many Democrats have demurred, with some even expressing support for the action. “I think it looks weak” to condemn the attack, one unnamed House Democrat told Axios. “If you don’t acknowledge when there is a win for our country, then you lose all credibility.”
The lack of a strong response from Democrats may be due to the relatively mum response from its leaders. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries began his statement in response to the attack by calling Maduro “a criminal and authoritarian dictator,” and went on to criticize the administration for not briefing Congress about the attack.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) also began his statement by calling Maduro an “illegitimate dictator.” He said that the action was “reckless,” called for a congressional briefing, and in an interview later, said that “the American people are scratching their heads” about his threats to other countries.’
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