Why Venezuela? That is a question few in power seem interested in answering. And that silence is how a country sleepwalks into war.
The United States is methodically moving toward an unauthorized military conflict with Venezuela. “The U.S. military has blown up at least 21 boats, killing more than 80 people since the Trump administration’s antidrug campaign began in September,” The New York Times reported this week. Yet almost nobody in Congress seems to care enough to do the necessary oversight or just ask the Trump administration, “Why Venezuela?”
The administration has cited a threat from drug trafficking and narcoterrorists without providing evidence for its claims.
A fleet of American battleships has arrived near Venezuela, where the administration has been attacking boats it says are ferrying drugs. President Donald Trump said on Monday that he is not ruling out sending U.S. troops into Venezuela, as his administration weighs potential military action against a nation the White House says is being run by a drug cartel leader. Who exactly would that be? President Nicolas Maduro has been in power since 2013. Regardless, the administration’s argument crumbles under even basic scrutiny. Furthermore, Venezuela’s criminal networks are not driving America’s fentanyl crisis. The administration has cited a threat from drug trafficking and narcoterrorists without providing evidence for its claims.
Still, much of Washington acts as though the president is entitled to point at a map, declare a new villain and send young Americans into harm’s way.
It has the hallmarks of a classic “wag the dog” scenario. When presidents find themselves cornered by scandal — and this president often is — they reach for a distraction. What’s the most dramatic distraction available? War.
The timing here is impossible to ignore. On Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly passed a bill to force the release of files related to the Justice Department’s investigation into the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The Senate moved so quickly to pass the legislation by unanimous consent that the bill hadn’t officially arrived from the House.
Along with the expected release of Epstein documents, Republicans are contending with economic strain, a ballot box-spanking in this month’s elections, bleak 2026 midterm forecasts and fallout from allowing Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire — effectively stripping health-care coverage from millions of their constituents.
Which is why the recent military actions in the Caribbean and talk about Venezuela look less like a national security necessity and more like an attempt to seize the narrative, rally the base and bury bad headlines under the fog of manufactured conflict. It’s one of the most dangerous schemes in the political playbook, and Congress needs to recognize it for exactly what it is.
The issue has escalated to the point that the U.K. has stopped sharing intelligence on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean over concerns about the legality of recent U.S. strikes, according to two sources who spoke to NBC News.
So why isn’t Congress doing anything? The branch of government with the sole power to declare war has not just dropped that constitutional ball, but it also ignores the fact that lawmakers have the ball in the first place. Senate Republicans blocked a resolution this month that would have prevented Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization. Only two Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure. The resolution’s co-sponsor, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who has condemned U.S. strikes on alleged drug cartel boats, said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that the strikes “go against all of our tradition.”
Already, dozens of people have been killed. This is an emergency Congress cannot afford to ignore. Yet most lawmakers seem unconcerned about the prospect of war with Venezuela and its potential destabilization, which threatens multiple interests for both nations: regional stability (and the potential for proxy escalation given Venezuela’s strong ties with Russia, China, Iran and Cuba); migration concerns; and fallout in global energy markets. Congress’ abdication of its constitutional responsibility is shocking. Where are the war powers resolutions? Where are the public briefings? Where are the emergency hearings demanding evidence before warships inch closer to another nation’s shoreline? Where is the evidence to support the administration’s claims? Where is the basic, minimal assertion of constitutional authority? Congress is making itself irrelevant. Congress is making itself irrelevant. Lawmakers have lost the will, and in some cases, the ability, to restrain this president. Many lawmakers remain devoted to Trump and fearful of provoking his base, while others are overwhelmed by the chaos this president constantly creates. That chaos, of course, is intentional. A Congress drowning in manufactured crises and scandals becomes too exhausted to assert its constitutional authority. That vacuum is where unchecked presidential power grows. Some in Congress may be too intimidated or politically calculating to challenge this president, while others are indifferent. But whatever the reason, their inaction leaves one man unrestrained on a possible march to war. What happens when the first American service member dies in a conflict Congress never authorized? What happens if the president uses that moment to demand unity, decry criticism as unpatriotic and escalate further? What happens if conflict in Venezuela becomes the shield the president uses to protect himself politically and to advance his attack on the Constitution? There is still time for Congress to stop this madness and protect lives. Lawmakers know the president cannot go to war alone. They know the Constitution is clear about their responsibility to authorize military force, fund and regulate the armed forces and oversee executive military decisions. Congress has been derelict in its duty since the first boat was sunk. If Congress continues its refusal to intervene on Venezuela, the consequences are likely to grow even deadlier; and the American people will have no one to blame but a president who wanted to distract from scandal and policy failures and a Congress that didn’t give a damn.
Michael Steele
Michael Steele is a co-host of "The Weeknight," which airs Monday through Friday at 7 p.m. ET on MSNBC. He is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a former chairman of the Republican National Committee. 
