NewsNation

Further Venezuela briefings held in Congress as concern mounts

Hannah Brandt

(NewsNation) — Top Trump administration officials on Wednesday are briefing both chambers of Congress on the controversial ouster of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro.

President Donald Trump has touted the military operation, which led to Maduro’s arrest and at least 56 deaths, as a starting point for other international moves. Trump has so far suggested he could take similar action in other countries, including Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Greenland.


All those killed were Venezuelan or Cuban military, police or security officials. Seven American service members were injured during the raid, and two are still recovering, the Pentagon confirmed to NewsNation.

As Trump celebrates the show of U.S. military might and the billions of barrels of sanctioned oil it secured, critics in Congress and elsewhere are voicing concern about his plans to “run” the South American nation.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Tuesday described an initial briefing as “extensive and long” with “far more questions than it ever answered.”

“They don’t know where they’re headed. They think they can do Step 1, take out Maduro, and they have no idea what Steps 2 through 10 are going to be, which gives all of us a great deal of worry,” he said.

WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 07: Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine (L) speaks to photographers as he arrives to a closed door briefing with senators on the U.S. the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2026 in Washington, DC. Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York on Saturday after they were captured by the U.S. military in Caracas. They are being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and are expected to face federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 07: U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrives to a closed door briefing with senators on the U.S. the capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, at the U.S. Capitol on January 7, 2026 in Washington, DC. Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken to New York on Saturday after they were captured by the U.S. military in Caracas. They are being detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn and are expected to face federal charges related to drug trafficking and working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. (Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images)
Demonstrators gather outside the Kennedy Center, to protest U.S. actions in Venezuela, including the detention of President Nicolas Maduro and the U.S. military intervention, in Washington on Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A woman shouts slogans during a rally in support of ousted Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas on Jan. 6, 2026. (Photo by Ronaldo SCHEMIDT / AFP via Getty Images)
Supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro embrace in downtown Caracas, Venezuela on Jan. 3, 2026, after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Maduro had been captured and flown out of the country. (AP Photo/Cristian Hernandez)
Fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, is seen from a distance after a series of explosions in Caracas on Jan. 3, 2026. The United States military was behind a series of strikes against the Venezuelan capital Caracas on Saturday, (Photo by AFP via Getty Images)
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Meanwhile, Republicans have broadly supported the Trump administration’s moves.

“I think there’s been a pretty resounding message sent to Venezuela that if you color within the lines, we’re going to work with you. So there’s been a physical visual statement that has been made by capturing this narcoterrorist and bringing him to justice in New York City,” Rep. Jimmy Patronis, R-Fla., told NewsNation.

Majority of Americans don’t approve of US actions in Venezuela: Poll

It’s not just opposing politicians that have raised red flags about recent military actions.

A recent Reuters-Ipsos poll found that around 33% of Americans approved of the U.S. operation in Venezuela, with 72% saying they are worried the U.S. will become too involved in the country.

Another poll, conducted via text by the Washington Post and survey research firm SQL Server Reporting Services over the weekend, returned similar numbers. Roughly 40% of respondents approved of the U.S. military being sent to capture Maduro, another 40% disapproved and 20% said they were unsure.

In both polls, Republicans broadly approved of the action, while Democrats were largely opposed to it.