Letter Text (PDF)

Washington (January 5, 2026) - Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) today led a letter to President Trump, demanding a cessation of hostilities against Venezuela and answers on the Trump administration’s objectives, legal rationale, and plans for Venezuela’s future.

History offers a clear warning against U.S.-led regime change campaigns to seize oil assets or protect oil corporation interests. In 1953, the U.S. orchestrated the overthrow of Iran’s democratically elected government to reinstall a dictator who would protect Western oil interests. That intervention—driven by the desire for oil and fear of Iran’s nationalization of its oil resources—led to decades of instability, subjugation of the Iranian people, and enduring resentment of the United States, creating negative consequences still felt around the world today.

In the letter, Senator Markey writes, “It is particularly alarming that your Administration’s desire for Venezuelan oil is the driving factor behind this military action. You have gone so far as to say that Venezuela ‘took all of our oil’ and ‘we want it back,’ asserting that the country ‘took our oil rights.’ You are abusing American military power, putting service members’ lives at risk, and jeopardizing our international standing. You are admittedly acting on behalf of private oil companies, to increase their profits, based on actions that the Venezuelan government took nearly 20 twenty years ago. This hostage-taking of Venezuela’s oil industry would strip Venezuelans of their sovereign rights over their own resources, undermine the rules-based international order, and represent a return to reckless resource-driven aggression, no different in principle from Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Your claim that ‘we’re going to get reimbursed for everything that we spend’ as you pour taxpayer dollars into your desire to ‘run’ Venezuela is a false promise that will remind many Americans of other lies told during the 2003 invasion of Iraq.”

Senator Markey continued, “Any U.S. policy toward Venezuela must prioritize genuine democratic self-determination, not the installation or backing of a puppet dictator who will safeguard private oil companies’ interests at the expense of the Venezuelan people. The United States cannot claim to act in the defense of democracy while facilitating the replacement of one authoritarian regime with another. Our history already includes too many dark chapters of American support for repressive regimes in the name of U.S. corporate interests, leaving behind a legacy of human suffering, oppression, and instability.”

Senator Markey requested answers by January 20, 2026, to questions that include:

• How does the Administration reconcile its actions in Venezuela with what was conveyed to Members of Congress? Did the Administration deliberately mislead Congress to circumvent the War Powers Resolution?
• What is the Administration’s plan for governance in Venezuela following the capture of Nicolás Maduro?
• How is the Administration ensuring that U.S. involvement does not become a prolonged or indefinite intervention comparable to Iraq or Afghanistan?
• What assurances can the Administration provide that Venezuelan resources, particularly oil, are not being treated as U.S. assets?
• To what extent have considerations related to Venezuela’s oil sector influenced U.S. decision-making?
• What steps is the Administration taking to prevent broader regional destabilization, including violence affecting civilians in Venezuela and neighboring countries? How is the Administration coordinating with regional partners and international organizations to address humanitarian needs and uphold international human rights obligations?
• Did any Administration official negotiate or discuss U.S. military intervention in Venezuela with any Venezuelan opposition figure, political faction, or intermediary in exchange for private companies’ access to Venezuelan oil resources?
• Before the invasion, did any Administration official discuss U.S. plans to take over Venezuelan oil with any U.S. oil company representative? If so, please name the people involved and when the conversations took place.

Senator Markey has been outspoken in his opposition to U.S. military action in Venezuela. On Saturday, he released a statement and video after the Trump administration launched an illegal strike on Venezuela and kidnapped Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. In November, Senator Markey supported Senator Tim Kaine’s (D-Va.) War Powers Resolution that would have blocked Donald Trump from authorizing military strikes on Venezuela. Republicans voted down the resolution.

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