Democrats Press Rubio Over Venezuela As Trump Administration Defends Stabilization Effort

Democrats repeatedly clashed with Secretary of State Marco Rubio during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Wednesday, pressing him on the Trump administration’s Venezuela strategy. 

The exchanges came just weeks after a U.S. midnight raid captured Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, following months of naval and Coast Guard operations that targeted Venezuela’s oil and drug-trafficking networks.

Rubio framed the operation as a short-term stabilization effort designed as a limited reset to restore regional stability and counter foreign influence, and rejected claims that the United States is engaged in a war or occupation.

“There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country,” Rubio said. “There are no U.S. troops on the ground.”

Democratic senators, however, used much of their questioning to challenge the legality, cost, and long-term direction of the operation. Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) opened his remarks with an extended critique of the U.S. strikes. He accused the administration of withholding its legal justification for actions, saying, “If it was such a righteous operation, why is the administration and the majority in this Senate so jealously protecting the details about it from being revealed to the American public?”

Kaine also pressed Rubio on Venezuela’s political future, arguing that the post-Maduro leadership lacks legitimacy and questioned why the administration has not installed opposition leader María Corina Machado to govern the country.

In response, Rubio said, “Today, whether we like it or not, the elements of control in that country — the people who have the guns and the institutions of government — are in the hands of this regime.” He reiterated that this was not the Trump administration’s desired long-term goal, saying, “We’re trying to trigger a process of stabilization and transition.”

Rubio was cut off mid-response as Kaine moved on to another topic.

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) repeatedly challenged Rubio over the administration’s use of the Alien Enemies Act, which President Donald Trump invoked in March 2025 to deport members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua. Duckworth asked whether Rubio would advise Trump to rescind the order if the United States were not formally at war with Venezuela.

“That was a mechanism to remove people from our country who were of great danger,” Rubio said, before Duckworth interrupted him to ask the question again. Duckworth also claimed deported individuals had been tortured, an allegation Rubio forcefully rejected. “Tortured? Who did we torture?” Rubio shot back. “We haven’t tortured anybody. We’ve arrested people who are members of gangs and deported them.”

When Duckworth again asked whether he would advise rescinding the order, Rubio responded bluntly: “No, of course not. These are people who are threats to the national security of the United States.”

Other Democrats questioned the scope and cost of the operation. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) argued that the naval blockade and raid had cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars while leaving much of Venezuela’s government intact.

Rubio countered that the strategy was deliberate and designed to avoid the open-ended military entanglements that defined earlier U.S. interventions abroad. “We are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to, have to take any military action in Venezuela,” Rubio said, adding a warning that the administration retains leverage. “Make no mistake, we are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail.”

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) accused the administration of overreach, arguing the United States was effectively seizing Venezuelan resources. Rubio rejected that characterization, pointing instead to what he described as rapid diplomatic progress since the operation began. However, Rubio stated, “The long-term plan is for Venezuela to have a normal energy program that sells directly into the market.” 

Additionally, he said the Trump administration has appointed career diplomat Laura F. Dogu as ambassador to Venezuela, the first time the U.S. will have an ambassador in Caracas since 2019. The administration is also working to roll back adversarial influence in the country. “For the first time in 20 years, we are having serious conversations about eroding and eliminating the Iranian presence, the Chinese influence, the Russian presence as well,” Rubio said.

As Democrats continued to criticize the scope and premise of the operation, Rubio emphasized that the administration’s approach is designed to avoid the prolonged military interventions that defined past U.S. policy. Rather than immediate regime change, Rubio said the administration is focused on stabilization, leverage, and a gradual transition that limits foreign influence while creating conditions for future elections.

The administration’s stated objective, he said, remains a “friendly, stable, prosperous Venezuela,” and according to the Secretary of State, “we are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago.”