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Lawmaker says classified briefing offered "absolutely nothing," plans war powers bill over Venezuela
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Summary
An unidentified congressman told colleagues a classified briefing added no new information about recent boat strikes and said the administration appears focused on regime change in Venezuela. He said he will seek a war powers bill requiring congressional approval before military action; a vote was slated but no outcome is recorded.
An unidentified congressman told colleagues a classified briefing on recent boat strikes provided "absolutely nothing" new and accused the administration of trying to circumvent Congress, framing the U.S. actions as aimed at regime change in Venezuela rather than drug interdiction.
The lawmaker said the briefing repeated information members already had and cited statements attributed to the president's chief of staff and the president's recent remarks. ‘‘Absolutely nothing,’’ the congressman said of the briefing. He added that officials had portrayed the effort as an anti-drug operation but that rhetoric such as "this will not stop until Maduro is gone" and references to seizing Venezuelan oil make the administration's intent unclear.
The congressman said he has introduced or prepared a war powers bill that he hoped would be put to a vote later in the session. He described the measure as requiring the president to come to Congress for approval before undertaking military actions that could result in U.S. personnel firing on or killing people in the Caribbean, Pacific or taking unilateral action in Venezuela. The transcript records the lawmaker saying the proposal would "stop him from shooting and killing individuals in the Caribbean as well as Pacific" and would bar unilateral military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
The record does not show that a formal motion was made on the chamber floor during the transcript provided, nor does it record whether a vote occurred on the proposed bill. No other members' statements or responses to the proposed bill are recorded in the provided transcript.
Background: in the exchange the lawmaker contrasted administration public statements about drug interdiction with what he described as rhetoric about regime change and oil, and said that disparity motivated the proposed legislation. The account here is based solely on the provided transcript and attributes assertions and quotes only to speakers identified in the record.
Next steps: the congressman said he hoped the war powers bill would be voted on that day; the transcript does not record a result or further procedural action.
