https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/marco-rubio-senate-hearing-venezuela/
Watch Live: Rubio testifes about Venezuela at Senate hearing
What to know about Marco Rubio's testimony:
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio is testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the U.S. policy toward Venezuela on Wednesday, answering questions from lawmakers for the first time since U.S. forces ousted former President Nicolás Maduro.
- In the wake of the Maduro operation, several Republicans expressed concern about U.S. involvement in Venezuela and helped advance a war powers resolution in the Senate to rein in President Trump's authority to carry out further military strikes. But some were swayed to ultimately back down after Rubio vowed the U.S. would not put ground troops in Venezuela.
- Mr. Trump's comments about "running" Venezuela and controlling its oil have since raised questions about his administration's plans for the country.
- The U.S. has continued to carry out strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats, killing at least 126 people since Sept. 2. The most recent strike, on Jan. 23, was the first since Maduro's capture.
- The hearing began at 10 a.m. and will be live-streamed in the video player at the top of this page.
Rubio warns U.S. "prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail"
In his opening remarks, Rubio will say the U.S. expects Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela's interim president, to cooperate on several U.S. priorities, including giving American companies "preferential access" to oil production, using revenues to purchase American goods and ending oil shipments to Cuba.
"Rodríguez is well aware of the fate of Maduro; it is our belief that her own self-interest aligns with advancing
our key objectives," Rubio is expected to say in his opening statement, according to his prepared remarks.
Rubio will also say the Trump administration will "closely monitor" the interim leadership's cooperation with its plan for Venezuela's future. The U.S. is "prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail," he is expected to say.
Rubio pushed back on the notion — that has come mostly from Democrats — that the operation to seize Maduro amounted to an act of war.
"There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country. There are no U.S. troops on the ground. This was an operation to aid law enforcement. The United States arrested two narcotraffickers who are now going to stand trial in the United States for the crimes they committed against our people," he will say, referring to Maduro and his wife, who were jailed on drug charges after U.S. forces flew them from Venezuela.
Shaheen questions outcomes of Trump administration's actions
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the top Democrat on the committee, is expected to ask Rubio if the Maduro raid was worth it, given the cost of staging U.S. forces in the region and the fact that the remainder of Venezuela's leadership is still intact.
"Maduro's vice president — now the interim president— has taken no steps to diminish Iran, China or Russia's considerable influence in Venezuela. Her cooperation appears tactical and temporary, not a real shift in Venezuela's alignment. In the process we've traded one dictator for another," Shaheen will say, according to her prepared remarks.
Shaheen will accuse the Trump administration of "losing sight of what actually advances America's interests and delivers results for the American people," while China expands its influence.
Shaheen will blame Mr. Trump's tariffs for driving away allies and pushing them into China's arms.
"It is unilateral disarmament," she is expected to say.
Shaheen, who recently visited Denmark as part of a congressional delegation to reassure allies in the wake of Mr. Trump's threats to take over Greenland, is also expected to bring up the diplomatic flap. She will say that Mr. Trump's threats "have shaken public confidence in the United States to the core."
"At a moment when Russia is waging the largest land war in Europe since World War II, we should be strengthening allied unity and instead, we are undermining it," she is expected to say. "From Venezuela to Europe, the United States is spending more, risking more and achieving less. And everyday Americans are paying the price, both at the grocery store and in a more chaotic and less safe world. That does not project strength. It hands our adversaries exactly what they want."
Risch defends "limited" operation, says Venezuela "may require" international support
Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the committee's Republican chairman, will reiterate his support for the daring operation to capture Maduro, defending it as consistent with other military operations ordered by previous presidents who did not have congressional authorization.
"These actions were limited in scope, short in duration, and done to protect U.S. interests and citizens. What President Trump has done in Venezuela is the definition of the president's Article II constitutional authorities as commander in chief," Risch is expected to say, according to his prepared opening statement.
The hearing will give Rubio an opportunity to publicly explain the administration's plans for Venezuela's future, especially to Americans who are wary of another "forever war," Risch will say.
"I know this administration is laser-focused on avoiding these experiences," he is expected to say, while also noting that there has been "confusion" about the administration's plans.
"With Nicolas Maduro out of power, the United States has the opportunity to better protect America by bringing stability to Venezuela," Risch's statement says. "It is all our hope that the Venezuelan people will soon be able to hold free and fair elections for their leaders. To get there, Venezuela may require U.S. and international support to ensure these elections are indeed free and fair, unlike the ones before."
Trump said secret weapon disabled Venezuelan defenses during Maduro raid
Last week, Mr. Trump said the U.S. used a secret weapon that made Venezuelan defenses inoperable during the raid to capture Maduro.
In an interview with the New York Post last Friday, Mr. Trump called the weapon the "discombobulator" and said it made Venezuela's equipment "not work."
"I'm not allowed to talk about it," he said.
"They never got their rockets off. They had Russian and Chinese rockets, and they never got one off," the president said. "We came in, they pressed buttons and nothing worked. They were all set for us."
U.S. has carried out dozens of strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats
The U.S. has conducted at least 35 strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean from Sept. 2 through Jan. 23.
The strikes have killed at least 126 people, according to the Trump administration.
The Trump administration's handling of survivors has come under intense scrutiny, with some critics accusing the U.S. of committing potential war crimes after a follow-up strike on Sept. 2 killed two survivors. Two men who survived a strike on Oct. 16 were detained by the U.S. Navy and repatriated to their countries of origin, prompting questions about the danger the Trump administration has claimed alleged drug traffickers pose to the U.S.
At least three other strikes also left survivors, who have since been presumed dead.
U.S. military buildup around Venezuela preceded Maduro raid
Around the time of Maduro's capture, the U.S. had about 15,000 troops deployed through the region. Roughly a dozen Navy ships are in waters near the Caribbean Sea.
U.S. destroyers began heading to the region in late August, a White House official confirmed to CBS News at the time.
Rubio told GOP chairman that "Operation Absolute Resolve" has ended
In a Jan. 13 letter, Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, asked Mr. Trump to clarify the disposition of U.S. forces in Venezuela.
"I respectfully request you provide Congress with an official correspondence confirming that Operation Absolute Resolve has ended and that U.S. military personnel are no longer involved in hostilities in Venezuela," Risch wrote.
Rubio sent a response on Jan. 14 that said "there are currently no U.S. Armed Forces In Venezuela."
"Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution," he said.
The referenced section of the War Powers Act of 1973 says that in the absence of a declaration of war in which U.S. armed forces are introduced, the president shall notify Congress within 48 hours. The law requires the president to detail the circumstances necessitating the use of armed forces, the constitutional and legislative authority that justifies the action, and the estimated scope and duration of the hostilities.
Rubio's testimony follows growing GOP support in Venezuela war powers vote
Rubio's testimony comes after the White House pressured a handful of Republicans to back off a Democratic push to limit further strikes against Venezuela earlier this month.
After initially voting to advance a war powers resolution following the U.S. capture of Maduro and his wife, two Senate Republicans flipped their opposition to help kill the measure.
Republican Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana said they received assurances from Rubio on the administration's plans for troops in Venezuela and didn't see a need to continue moving the resolution forward.
According to Hawley, Rubio confirmed the U.S. "has no ground troops currently in Venezuela" and that if the administration plans to put troops in Venezuela, "they would abide by the War Powers Act and they would come to Congress for congressional authorization."
"The secretary told me directly that the administration will not put ground troops in Venezuela," Hawley told reporters on Jan. 14.
