Today as the U.S. Senate prepares to reconvene, Senator Andy Kim outlined the questions that Congress must ask, and the American people deserve answered, as President Trump has announced plans to “run” Venezuela following the deposing of President Nicolás Maduro.

Over the weekend, Senator Kim made clear in his initial response to the attack on Venezuela that Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth, “blatantly lied to Congress” about regime change being a goal in Venezuela and that the Trump Administration’s actions will only serve to “further damage our reputation – already hurt by Trump’s policies around the world – and only isolate us in a time when we need our friends and allies more than ever.” Read and share Senator Kim’s statement in full via Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and BlueSky, and as written below:

“While Trump effectively declared ‘mission accomplished’, regime change is more complicated than that. Maduro was a brutal/illegitimate leader, but his regime is still in power and there are many questions about what comes next. Congress is back today; here’s what we should be asking.

“WHAT’S THE GOAL? - The American people deserve to know why Trump put American servicemembers at risk and has the U.S. running Venezuela. Maduro will be in court today. His indictment is about drugs, but Trump keeps talking about one thing: oil.

“IS THE GOAL PROFIT? - Trump was clear, “we're gonna be taking out a tremendous amount of wealth out of the ground.” Who is going to profit? We’ve seen the oil and gas industry pump millions into Trump’s campaign and the Trump White House. Trump said last night that he was in touch with oil execs before and after the military operation even though he refused to consult Congress.

“Are these fossil fuel companies looking at Venezuela - the country with the largest oil reserves in the world - as an opportunity to get a return on that investment? Are others in the finance industry looking to take advantage for their own profit, no matter the consequences?

“IS THE GOAL FIGHTING ILLEGAL DRUGS? - Maduro is in court today, and you’ll hear a lot about narco-terror accusations. But Trump’s actions beyond the indictment don’t match his rhetoric. Just last month, he pardoned the former president of Honduras Hernández, who was charged with “one of the largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies in the world.”

“Trump’s own press conference, which focused more on oil than drugs, and what we’ve seen from Rubio, shows this is less about combatting illegal drugs (most of which do not come from Venezuela) and more about power. Power and profit.

“The argument that this is about stopping drugs is made weaker by the fact that the Trump administration is fine with VP Delcy Rodríguez and the rest of Maduro’s leadership staying in power. Trump previously called Maduro’s regime “narcoterrorists.”

“Meanwhile Trump has been completely silent on Edmundo González (who almost assuredly beat Maduro in 2024) and has undercut faith in opposition leader María Corina Machado. It seems that Trump is fine with the Maduro government in power, only if they bend to his will in giving America access to oil.

“DOES THIS ATTEMPT AT REGIME CHANGE END ANY BETTER THAN OTHERS? The United States unfortunately has recent experience in trying regime change - and it has led to quagmires that sucked enormous time, resources, and American blood. What’s worse, it does not appear that this administration went into this operation with any plan for what comes next.

“This is a moment for careful coordination with our allies and partners, and work with the opposition in Venezuela - not glib assertions about running the country and using oil revenues to pay for it. This is a moment for the focus to be on American families, not American oil executives who donated to Trump’s campaign.

“We’ve got millions of American families wondering why their dollars are going to attacks in Venezuela instead of healthcare at home. You deserve answers, not premature victory celebrations.”