- Trump Administration Denies Occupation, Nation-Building Plans in Venezuela
- Speaker Mike Johnson said American forces were not deployed to occupy Venezuelan territory
- The operation has drawn global attention and sparked criticism from some Democratic lawmakers
United States Republican lawmakers have said President Donald Trump has no intention of occupying Venezuela or engaging in nation-building activities following the recent U.S. operation in the South American country.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the lawmakers made this clarification on Monday, January 5, after a closed-door briefing by senior administration officials on Washington’s policy toward Venezuela.
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Speaking with reporters, U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson said American forces were not deployed to occupy Venezuelan territory.
“We do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country,” the Louisiana Republican stated.
Also addressing journalists, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Brian Mast, dismissed suggestions of nation-building under the Trump administration.
“If anybody wants to use the term nation-building, or anything like that, it doesn’t look like anything anybody has seen under President Trump,” Mast said.
According to lawmakers, the briefing, which lasted over two hours, reaffirmed that the U.S. has no plans for prolonged military engagement or governance in Venezuela. Mast added that the administration does not pursue extended wars, responding to concerns that the situation could mirror the decades-long conflict in Afghanistan.
The comments followed a dramatic weekend operation in which U.S. forces were deployed to Caracas in an action targeting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who has since pleaded not guilty to narcotics-related charges in a U.S. court.
The operation has drawn global attention and sparked criticism from some Democratic lawmakers. They accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio and other officials of previously assuring Congress that there were no plans for regime change in Venezuela.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer described Monday’s briefing as detailed but said it raised unresolved concerns.
“Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying,” Schumer said, adding that he had not received assurances such actions would not be repeated elsewhere.
Republican lawmakers, however, maintained that the operation did not require congressional approval, arguing it was a limited law-enforcement action aimed at bringing Maduro before a U.S. court.
Mast also stressed that the U.S. military would continue to play its role in protecting American national security.
“There’s absolutely a continual plan to use the United States military to protect the homeland of the United States of America,” he said.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote later this week on a resolution, co-sponsored by Schumer, seeking to block further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorisation.
The Trump administration has accused Maduro of running an international cocaine-trafficking network allegedly linked to groups such as Mexico’s Sinaloa and Zetas cartels, Colombia’s FARC rebels, and Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang. Maduro has repeatedly denied the allegations, describing them as an excuse for foreign interference tied to Venezuela’s vast oil resources.
Trump has openly expressed interest in Venezuela’s oil sector, and U.S. oil stocks reportedly rose following the operation amid speculation over future access to the country’s petroleum reserves.
