Lawmakers demand answers after Trump confirms U.S. land strike in Venezuela

Members of Congress are demanding answers from President Donald Trump after he confirmed the United States carried out a land-based strike inside Venezuela.

(NBC)- Members of Congress are demanding answers from President Donald Trump after he confirmed the United States carried out a land-based strike inside Venezuela — a move that has sparked bipartisan concern on Capitol Hill.

Representative Debbie Dingell of Michigan called the action a potential act of war and said Congress should have been consulted before any such operation took place.

“I consider that a military act and a potential act of war, and the president needs to be talking to the Congress,” Dingell said.

President Trump said the strike targeted a docking facility used by drug traffickers, describing it as a key site for loading narcotics onto boats.

“They load the boats up with drugs,” Trump said. “So we hit all the boats, and now we hit the area. It’s the implementation area. That’s where they implement, and that is no longer around.”

The strike marks the latest escalation in U.S. action against Venezuela. Since September, the Trump administration has authorized multiple operations targeting vessels accused of trafficking drugs in the region.

But this latest move — a strike on land — is raising new concerns among lawmakers from both parties.

Republican Congressman Don Bacon of Nebraska questioned the broader implications of the action.

“They have been very clear about targeting these drug boats, so we have clear information there,” Bacon said. “But threatening Venezuela itself is very cryptic and very unclear with what they are trying to do there.”

The Venezuelan government has not yet commented on the reported strike. President Trump said he recently spoke with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, though he declined to offer details.

“Well, I spoke to him,” Trump said when asked. “Pretty recently, reasonably recently, but nothing much comes of it.”

It remains unclear whether any members of Congress were notified ahead of the operation. Administration officials say the strike was carried out by the CIA rather than the U.S. military — a distinction that meant congressional authorization was not required under current law.