In a dramatic turn of U.S. foreign policy, Sen. Todd Young has publicly hailed the law enforcement action that removed Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela — but drew a firm line by refusing to support sending U.S. troops into the South American nation. Young praised the ouster of Maduro as a successful mission, yet stressed that any future deployment of American forces must first be debated and authorized by Congress, reflecting deep concern over open-ended military entanglement abroad. His stance comes as the U.S. Senate recently blocked a war powers resolution that would have limited further Trump administration action in Venezuela, underscoring rising tensions over executive military authority
00:00First, I want to reiterate that I support President Trump's decision to bring Nicolas Maduro to justice for his many crimes.
00:10The Venezuelan people now have a new hope of the U.S. service personnel who carried out the successful law enforcement mission in Venezuela earlier this month.
00:20Highly impressive, highly sophisticated. I am awestruck by the mission, all that it accomplished, and I thank the men who are part of that.
00:34At the beginning of this year, there's been a lot of conversation both here in Washington and around the country about the future of American involvement in Venezuela and how that relates to the War Powers Act.
00:48So as we head into recess, my colleagues head back to their respective states and to other locales.
00:57I just wanted to take a minute and update my constituents on how this U.S. senator is approaching this situation.
01:06First, I want to reiterate that I support President Trump's decision to bring Nicolas Maduro to justice for his many crimes.
01:15I know I speak for countless Hoosiers in expressing my gratitude that after years of oppression, the Venezuelan people now have a new hope.
01:27In fact, I've taken meetings in recent days with diplomats, national security luminaries, business people, expats, and others.
01:38And those meetings have reinforced the reality for me that right now we have an opportunity for brighter days ahead in Venezuela.
01:49And I know the administration is working with multiple stakeholders to affect that sort of positive change that we're all hoping for.
01:59And I, of course, also want to commend the bravery, the professionalism of the U.S. service personnel who carried out the successful law enforcement mission in Venezuela earlier this month.
02:12Highly impressive, highly sophisticated, highly sophisticated, I am awestruck by the mission, all that it accomplished, and I thank the men who are part of that.
02:26Now, while I applaud and stand with the President and his team on the law enforcement action taken in Venezuela to remove Nicolas Maduro, that law enforcement mission is now complete.
02:41I just want to clarify that for many of my constituents.
02:44I've also expressed concerns about the possibility of American military involvement in Venezuela as we move forward.
02:52However, the President and members of his national security team have openly stated that the United States now runs Venezuela.
03:01And because we can't predict the future, no one can guarantee with certainty that an American military presence won't be required to stabilize the country.
03:12So I, along with what I believe to be the majority of Hoosiers, am not prepared to commit American troops to that mission.
03:22I strongly believe that any such commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela must be subject to debate and authorization in Congress.
03:32And that is what animated so much of my activity in recent days and weeks.
03:39Now, that belief is not a new one to this situation or this President.
03:45In fact, for over a decade and under multiple Presidents, I have pushed for Congress to fulfill its role defined in the Constitution on matters involving the use of military force.
03:59Since U.S. involvement in Venezuela began last year, I pushed for briefings and other forms of Congressional engagement just last week.
04:10Because of those concerns, I ultimately voted to advance a War Powers Resolution to make my concerns crystal clear to the administration and to my colleagues.
04:22The reality, though, is this.
04:26Even if the Senate had adopted that resolution, had it not been derailed through a procedural vote,
04:34it likely would have died in the House of Representatives, very likely,
04:40or at a minimum, been vetoed by the President of the United States.
04:45That much was clear.
04:45Given that stark, incontrovertible, unavoidable reality,
04:53I've had numerous conversations with senior national security officials over the past week since the first vote took place.
05:04And in those conversations, some in person, some by phone,
05:09I received assurances that there are, number one, no longer any American troops in Venezuela.
05:18I've also received a commitment that if President Trump were to determine American forces were needed in any major military operations in Venezuela,
05:27the administration would come to Congress in advance,
05:30in advance to ask for a formal authorization on the use of military force.
05:39And lastly, Secretary Rubio has agreed to my request to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
05:45to provide a public update on Venezuela immediately after the recess,
05:52facilitating the very type of public debate and, if necessary, someday authorization around these matters.
06:04Hopefully working the muscle memory of this institution and its various committees on issues of war powers
06:15so that they might be more inclined to operate those prerogatives, to exercise those prerogatives in the future.
06:24For those like me who want Congress to perform its long-standing role in these issues,
06:29the commitments I've secured are major commitments that will help keep Congress better informed,
06:36help ensure we make better decisions,
06:38and ensure in this situation that any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela
06:44is subject to public debate and authorization here in this body.
06:50So let me just end by saying that President Trump campaigned against forever wars.
06:56Millions of people strongly supported him in that position.
07:00I strongly support him in that position, still today,
07:04and I believe that a drawn-out campaign in Venezuela involving the American military,
07:10even if unintended,
07:12would be the opposite of President Trump's goal of ending foreign entanglements.
07:18But I also make that statement with humility,
07:22understanding that world events are fluid,
07:25the world is complicated, circumstances can change.
07:30And what all of us in this body should want
07:32is the opportunity to perform oversight
07:35and provide input on these critical foreign policy issues
07:39on behalf of those we represent.
07:43If we must make a decision, a very difficult decision,
07:47at some point in the future,
07:49our constituents should be able to hold us accountable
07:53for those decisions.
07:56Regardless of who serves as president
07:58or which party controls the White House,
08:00Congress must get back
08:02to carefully fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.
08:07And I am pleased
08:08that we have a path forward toward that goal now.
08:12And I look forward to the next steps in the weeks ahead.
08:14Thank you, Mr. President.
08:16I yield.
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