TALARICO, AUCHINCLOSS: Trump’s blood for oil strategy is as reckless as it is illegal

The president is pitching humor for lipid successful Venezuela. It's a unsafe mission, a corrupt woody and a lawless precedent. Congress indispensable halt this recklessness earlier it costs the lives of American troops.  

One of america is simply a congressman who commanded Marines successful jungle grooming successful Latin America. The different is simply a authorities typical and campaigner for the U.S. Senate retired of Texas, the biggest lipid shaper successful the country. We’re some members of Majority Democrats, a radical of elected leaders dedicated to rebuilding spot with the exhausted bulk of Americans. Whether seen from the position of the subject oregon the Texas mediate class, we agree: Republicans successful Congress are failing to supply a cheque and equilibrium connected warmongering. 

The president’s strikes against Venezuela person near successful spot the gangsters moving the country, but enactment them connected announcement that their lipid is present his. To instrumentality it, President Donald Trump has made wide that helium wants U.S. lipid majors to commencement rebuilding Venezuela's derelict vigor infrastructure. That's costly and hazardous. 

Chevron and the remainder volition privation superior enactment from the U.S. government. For starters, their unit and assets necessitate security. Pro-Chavismo Venezuelan forces, leftist Colombian terrorists and transnational transgression organizations are each threats. This is wherefore the president refused to regularisation retired American boots connected the ground. He whitethorn request troops to service arsenic equipped guards for lipid extraction.

MARCO RUBIO EMERGES AS KEY TRUMP POWER PLAYER AFTER VENEZUELA OPERATION

Fire astatine Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela's largest subject complex, is seen from a region aft a bid of explosions successful Caracas connected Jan. 3, 2026. (AFP via Getty Images)

The enemies awaiting Americans deployed to Venezuela person spent their full lives traversing its jungles and rivers. The U.S. military, by contrast, has trained 2 generations successful patrolling and close-air-support that presumes agelong enactment of sight, not dense canopy. Jungle warfare would beryllium a caller and nasty mission. 

Make nary mistake: our Marines, soldiers and sailors would implicit that mission. They are the finest warring unit successful the world. But they would beryllium warring for lipid wealth for the affluent – not for democracy, cause interdiction, oregon a amended aboriginal for Venezuelans. Hit by raids, chopped disconnected from occurrence support, infected by malaria — all successful the work of crony capitalism. 

Last year, Trump promised lipid executives "a large deal" if they donated $1 cardinal to his campaign. He is present offering them 300 cardinal barrels of oil. It won't marque state immoderate cheaper for Americans this decade. Projections for 500,000 other regular barrels would not marque a terms dent successful a marketplace wherever 100+ cardinal barrels are sold daily. It besides won't bring jobs to Texas, wherever Chevron conscionable laid disconnected 200 workers successful Midland.

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Chevron executives and different medication allies, though, basal to summation powerfulness and wealthiness from controlling the world's largest lipid reserve. As with tariffs, AI and his taxation cuts for the wealthy, the president is erstwhile again pursuing policies that further consolidate wealthiness and power. 

He's also, erstwhile again, breaking the law. The attacks connected Venezuela are illegal. The president claims helium is lone utilizing the subject to enactment instrumentality enforcement successful executing an indictment. Hard to instrumentality that assertion earnestly from a antheral who had U.S. soldiers connected their knees to rotation retired a reddish carpet for the warfare transgression Russian President Vladimir Putin successful Alaska.

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Apart from its risibility, though, the assertion is bogus. Absent an imminent menace to the homeland, the president needs legislature authorization to usage subject force. There is nary menace from Venezuela excessively pressing oregon existential to deliberate upon successful Congress. If the president were acrophobic astir drugs (He's not.), helium could get pugnacious connected Chinese fentanyl exports (He hasn't.).  

Neither enactment should judge the precedent that a commander-in-chief tin weaponry cities and seizure overseas leaders without truthful overmuch arsenic a telephone telephone to Congress. It's a look for much subject adventurism, much humor and treasure sunk by mediocre planning. Indeed, the president is already jawboning astir Cuba, Greenland and Colombia. Republicans successful Congress indispensable halt acting similar sheep. Neither our subject nor our system would payment from open-ended deployment to Venezuela. 

Democrat Jake Auchincloss represents the Massachusetts Fourth Congressional District successful Congress wherever helium is simply a subordinate of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

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