Democratic Oregon and Southwest Washington lawmakers moved swiftly to condemn President Donald Trump’s announcement early Saturday that the United States carried out a military strike in Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The federally elected senators and representatives called the action unconstitutional, reckless and a dangerous escalation with global consequences.

Rep. Cliff Bentz, the lone Republican congressperson from Oregon, had not posted about the action on social media by late Saturday morning. OPB has reached out to him for comments.

U.S. hit Venezuela with ‘large-scale strike,’ captured Nicolás Maduro, Trump says

U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., said the strike reflected a familiar and troubling pattern in American foreign policy. In a series of posts on social media, Merkley argued the operation violated the U.S. Constitution, which grants Congress the sole authority to declare war.

“Once again, U.S. foreign policy is all about oil, regime change, and might makes right,” Merkley wrote. He warned that the move would “reverberate in unexpected and significant ways,” undermining U.S. credibility when criticizing potential aggression by China toward Taiwan or Russia toward Ukraine.

Merkley also said that forcibly removing Maduro could leave the United States responsible for managing Venezuela’s future, with serious risks for American lives and taxpayer dollars. “It is way past time for Congress to reassert its proper constitutional powers,” he said.

Trump said during a press briefing Saturday morning that the U.S. is “going to run” Venezuela, for now.

Trump says ‘we are going to run the country now’ after removing Venezuela’s president

U.S. Rep. Val Hoyle, who represents Oregon’s 4th Congressional District, echoed those concerns, calling the strike “illegal” and an example of extreme executive overreach.

“The Constitution grants Congress the sole power to declare war and this is one more example of extreme overreach by this Administration, one that will have dire consequences,” Hoyle wrote on Bluesky. She said Americans did not need “another foreign war for oil” and warned of the potential cost in lives and public funds.

U.S. Rep. Andrea Salinas, representing Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, went further, characterizing the operation as an outright act of war. “Without any approval or oversight from Congress, President Trump has overthrown the Venezuelan government,” Salinas wrote on X. “Every member of Congress should be outraged that Trump is sidestepping our authority and dragging us into another conflict.”

U.S. strikes on Venezuela spark alarm across Latin America and beyond

From Washington state, Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell issued a lengthy statement criticizing both the legality of the strike and the administration’s stated rationale. She said Americans had not asked for a war, an occupation or “boots on the ground,” and accused the president of acting without a clear plan for what comes next.

“What the President has done is unconstitutional, reckless, and will have far-reaching effects well beyond last night’s strikes,” Cantwell said. She questioned the administration’s justification for using military force, particularly Trump’s suggestion that the United States would run Venezuela following Maduro’s removal.

The White House has not yet released detailed information about the scope of the operation, the legal authority under which it was conducted, or what role, if any, Congress will play going forward.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/01/03/northwest-lawmakers-reaction-trump-venezuela/