By Sam Barron | Tuesday, 23 December 2025 08:39 PM EST
Republicans are divided over whether President Donald Trump should push for military pressure to remove Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from office.
While Senate Republicans have supported the administration’s decision to target Venezuelan speedboats linked to fentanyl smuggling, some warn that direct military action could backfire.
“ heating what the president’s done. I think the question is how forceful we should be,” Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) stated. “I think we just have to be very careful when we’re dealing with regime change—it seems to backfire a lot.”
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) has consistently opposed bombing Venezuelan speedboats without congressional approval. “We’ve gotten away from the constitutional requirement that Congress declare war,” Paul said. Recently, he joined Senate Democrats in filing a resolution to block U.S. military engagement against Venezuela without authorization.
An anonymous Republican senator expressed concern that the Trump administration is fixated on removing Maduro by force: “I do not want ground troops in Venezuela. I don’t want another Afghanistan or Iraq.” The senator added, “U.S.-directed regime change is not the policy of the United States—it was never part of anti-narco-trafficking efforts.”
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) noted that while Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured lawmakers the administration isn’t pursuing regime change, “there’s still a lack of clarity about why we’re involved in this country’s leadership.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) supports Maduro’s removal but demanded clearer answers: “Most Americans want to know what’s next. Is it policy to take Maduro down? It should be—if not, I need better direction on what happens when he goes.”
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) emphasized protecting Americans harmed by drug trafficking: “Clearly, Maduro is part of these cartel rings. But right now, the focus must be on blowing the boats that are killing Americans out of the water.”
