Lawmakers return to Washington facing Venezuela concerns, shutdown threat

WASHINGTON- Lawmakers return to Washington this week to deal with the fallout from the stunning capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — and familiar complaints about the Trump administration’s decision to bypass Congress on the military operations that led to this moment.

Democratic leaders are demanding that the administration immediately notify Congress. Republican leaders indicated over the weekend that those plans were being planned, but some lawmakers expressed frustration Sunday that details were slow in coming.

President Trump told the nation on Saturday that the United States intends to “run” Venezuela and take control of the country’s oil operations now that Maduro has been captured and brought to New York to stand trial in a criminal case centered on narcoterrorism charges.

The administration did not notify Congress before the actions, leaving Democrats and some Republicans to publicly express frustration with the decision to sideline Congress.

“Congress should have been informed of the operation earlier and must be involved as the situation evolves,” Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine) said in a social media post on Saturday.

Appearing on Sunday news shows, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, both of New York, ran through a growing list of unknowns — and laid out plans for their party to try to reassert Congress’ authority over acts of war.

“The problem here is there are so many unanswered questions,” Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week.” “How long do they plan to stay there? How many soldiers do we need after a day? After a week? After a year? How much will it cost and what are the limits?”

Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he was concerned about Trump leading Venezuela, saying he had “done a terrible job leading the United States of America” ​​and should focus on working domestically.

In the coming days, Jeffries said Democrats would prioritize legislative action to try to rein in the administration, “to ensure that no further military action is taken without explicit congressional approval.”

As discussions over Venezuela loom, lawmakers also face important decisions on how to resolve the issue. rising health care costsprevent another government shutdown and deal with the problems of the Trump administration processing of Epstein files.

Much of the unfinished work reflects a Congress that has opted to postpone some of its toughest and most politically controversial decisions until the new year, a move that could slow negotiations as lawmakers may be reluctant to give the other side high-profile policy victories as the 2026 midterm elections approach.

Above all, Congress faces the monumental task of avoiding another government shutdown — just two months after the longest shutdown in U.S. history ended. Lawmakers have until Jan. 30 to pass spending bills needed to keep the federal government open. Both chambers are expected to sit for three weeks before the closing deadline – with the House expected to be out of session the week immediately before.

Lawmakers successfully resolved major funding disputes late last year, including funding for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, also known as food stamps, and other government programs. But disagreements over health care spending remain a major sticking point in budget negotiations, intensified now that millions of Americans face higher health care costs after lawmakers allowed Affordable Care Act tax credits to expire Thursday.

“We can still find a solution to this,” said Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin), who has proposed legislation to extend the tax credits for two years. “We need to find ways to make people whole. This needs to be a top priority as soon as we return.”

Despite this urgency, Republican efforts to author broad health care reforms have had little success.

Underscoring the political pressure on the issue, four moderate House Republicans late last year defied party leadership and joined with House Democrats to force a floor vote on a three-year extension of the subsidies. This vote should take place in the coming weeks. Even if the House’s efforts succeed, their prospects remain bleak in the Senate, where Republicans blocked a three-year extension last month.

Meanwhile, President Trump is proposing giving more money directly to people for their health care, rather than to insurance companies. A White House official said the administration is also pursuing reforms to reduce the cost of prescription drugs.

Trump said last month that he planned to convene a group of health care officials in Washington early this year to pressure them to reduce costs.

“I’m going to appeal to the insurance companies that are making so much money, and they have to make less, a lot less,” Trump said during an Oval Office announcement. “I’m going to see if they lower their price, to put it very bluntly. And I think that’s a very big statement.”

Trump’s growing hostility toward insurance companies is expected to play a role in any Republican health care reform proposals. If Congress fails to act, the president should use his “bully pulpit” to pressure pharmaceutical and insurance companies to lower health care prices for consumers through executive action, said Nick Iarossi, a Trump fundraiser.

“The president is committed to the message of affordability and I believe that whatever he can accomplish unilaterally without Congress, he will do to provide relief to consumers,” Iarossi said.

As lawmakers negotiate government funding and health policy, the continuation of the Epstein saga is expected to loom large.

Democrats and some Republicans have been unhappy with the Justice Department’s decision to redact or withhold documents from a legally required release of records related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender who died in a Manhattan jail while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges.

Some are weighing options for holding Atty. General Pam Bondi is in charge.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), who co-sponsored the law that required the release with Rep. Thomas Massie (Republican of Kentucky), said he and Massie would bring contempt charges against Bondi in an effort to force her to comply with the law.

“Survivors and the public are demanding transparency and justice,” Khanna said in a statement.

Under a law passed by Congress and signed by Trump, the Justice Department was required to release all Epstein files by Dec. 19 and released about 100,000 pages that day. In the days that followed, the Justice Department said more than 5.2 million documents had been discovered and needed to be reviewed.

“We have attorneys working around the clock to review and make legally required redactions to protect victims, and we will release the documents as soon as possible,” the Justice Department said in a Dec. 24 social media post. “Due to the massive volume of documents, this process may take a few more weeks. »

Rep. Robert Garcia, the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, told MS NOW last week that pressure to resolve the issue will come to a head in the new year when lawmakers return to work.

“When we return to Congress here next week, we will know very quickly whether Republicans are serious about arresting and going after pedophiles and some of the worst individuals and traffickers in modern history, or whether they are going to kneel to Donald Trump,” said Garcia, of Long Beach.