Congress Must Stop Trump’s Covert and Military Action against Venezuela

October 16, 2025 – In response to reports that the Trump Administration has authorized covert Central Intelligence Agency action in Venezuela, Center for International Policy Executive Vice President Matt Duss issued the following statement:

“Reports that the Trump Administration has authorized covert efforts seeking to foment regime change in Venezuela are deeply concerning. These reports follow on the administration’s unlawful and unauthorized use of military force against vessels and their crews in the Caribbean – which constitute extrajudicial killings.

“Using covert or military measures to destabilize or overthrow regimes reminds us of some of the most notorious episodes in American foreign policy, which undermined the human rights and sovereignty of countries throughout Latin America and the Caribbean. We are still dealing with many of the harmful consequences of these disastrous interventions in today’s challenges with migration and the drug trade. Such interventions rarely lead to democratic or peaceful outcomes. Instead, they exacerbate internal divisions, reinforce authoritarianism, and destabilize societies for generations.

“Trump ran as an anti-war candidate and casts himself as a Nobel Prize-worthy peacemaker, yet he is conducting illegal strikes while threatening to start wars of choice across Latin America and the Caribbean. A majority of Americans oppose US military involvement in Venezuela. Lawmakers must make clear that Trump does not have the American people’s support or Congress’ authorization for the use of force against Venezuela or anywhere else in the region.”

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