Schumer accuses Trump of edging closer to Venezuela military conflict

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., issued a stark warning Saturday about President Donald Trump’s stance on Venezuela, accusing him of bringing the United States “closer and closer to another costly foreign war” without congressional approval.

In a scathing statement, Schumer criticized Trump’s recent escalation toward Venezuela and argued the president had upended the Constitution.

“President Trump’s reckless actions toward Venezuela are pushing America ever closer to another costly foreign war,” Schumer said. “Under our Constitution, Congress has the exclusive authority to declare war – not the President – ​​and Congress has not authorized the use of military force against Venezuela.”

The minority leader warned the president to avoid engaging in another foreign conflict, writing that “Americans are tired of endless foreign wars that cost the lives of countless American service members and drain valuable resources.”

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“This is not an America First policy,” he added.

Schumer called for a bipartisan response, urging his colleagues in Congress to “unite to return the power to the people to declare war.”

The New York Democrat’s comments come after Trump wrote on Truth Social that Venezuela’s airspace should be considered “closed in its entirety.”

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On November 29, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer issued a stark warning about President Donald Trump’s stance on Venezuela, accusing him of bringing the United States “closer and closer to another costly foreign war.” (Reuters)

“To all airlines, pilots, drug traffickers and human traffickers, please consider that the airspace above and around Venezuela is closed in its entirety,” he wrote.

The message came a week after the Federal Aviation Administration warned airlines of a “deteriorating safety situation” in the region.

Addressing the U.S. military on Thanksgiving, Trump said the United States would begin arresting suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers “very soon” “by land.”

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War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended the Trump administration’s strikes on suspected drug ships in the Caribbean Sea. (Omar Havana/Getty Images)

“In recent weeks, you have worked to deter Venezuelan drug traffickers, of which there are many,” Trump said. “Of course, there aren’t many people arriving by sea anymore. Have you probably noticed that?”

The president added that drug traffickers kill “hundreds of thousands of people a year” in the United States because of the “poisons” they bring.

Trump has not ruled out sending U.S. troops to Venezuela, saying on Nov. 17 that he had not ruled out the possibility.

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President Donald Trump was criticized Saturday by Senator Chuck Schumer for his recent approach toward Venezuela. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Asked if he ruled out deploying troops, Trump replied: “No, I don’t rule that out, I don’t rule out anything.”

War Secretary Pete Hegseth on Friday defended the Trump administration’s strikes against alleged drug trafficking ships in the Caribbean Sea.

“As we have said from the beginning, and in every statement, these highly effective strikes are specifically intended to be ‘lethal kinetic strikes,’” Hegseth wrote on that are poisoning the American people. Every trafficker we kill is affiliated with a designated terrorist organization. »

Hegseth’s statement followed reports from several media outlets, including the Washington Post and CNN, which claimed that the US military had ordered a second strike against a suspected drug trafficking ship in the Caribbean on September 2, after the initial attack left two survivors.

“As usual, fake news delivers more fabricated, inflammatory and derogatory information to discredit our incredible warriors who are fighting to protect the homeland,” Hegseth added in his message.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., and Ranking Member Adam Smith, D-Wash., issued a joint statement Saturday reiterating that the committee is “committed to providing robust oversight of the Department of Defense’s military operations in the Caribbean.”

“We take seriously reports of subsequent strikes against boats believed to be transporting narcotics in the SOUTHCOM region and are taking bipartisan action to obtain a full accounting of the operation in question,” the lawmakers wrote.

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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized President Trump for his handling of Venezuela. (Rod Lamkey Jr./AP Photo)

Fox News Digital has contacted the White House for comment.

Sophia Compton, Brie Stimson, Greg Norman and Alexandra Koch of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.