On the same day that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug charges in a Manhattan courtroom, U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on Monday said he planned to introduce legislation in Washington that would block federal funds from being used for U.S. military occupation in the South American nation.
The chance of the legislation passing in the Republican-run U.S. House is highly remote for Krishnamoorthi, who is running in the Democratic primary to succeed retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin. But his declaration comes as Krishnamoorthi and other Democratic candidates running for the Senate seat — including U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton — are toeing the party line and raising questions about President Donald Trump’s actions this past weekend in Venezuela in which U.S. military forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a raid without alerting Congress.
The declaration also comes as Congress returns to Washington, D.C., this week following the holiday break to consider the president’s war powers, work to avoid another federal government shutdown and consider an extension of insurance subsidies purchased through the Obamacare exchange.
Krishnamoorthi linked his opposition to Trump’s plans for Venezuela to the rising cost of living in the U.S.
“While families here at home are confronting these increases in health insurance, turn on the television and you’ll see what this administration is focused on instead: President Trump’s fixation on Venezuela and an open-ended military occupation abroad,” he said at a news conference in Chicago, again raising the alarm about the expiration of Affordable Care Act tax credits. “That is why today I’m announcing my intention to introduce legislation when I return to Washington to block any federal funds for a military occupation of Venezuela.”
While the measure’s prospects remain dim, some Senate Democrats have begun discussing ways to block further military action in Venezuela, either by limiting federal spending or by asserting congressional war powers through a resolution.
Krishnamoorthi’s announcement came days after a similar news conference highlighted rising health insurance premiums following the end of a pandemic-era special tax credit. Millions of Americans who had their insurance costs subsidized through ACA marketplaces are already seeing premiums double.
“The American people do not want another endless war, and they do not want their tax dollars diverted overseas while health care … is being cut here at home and Medicaid is being shredded to pieces. The choice before Congress is clear: We can spend billions on another foreign conflict or we can protect health care here at home,” Krishnamoorthi said Monday at a Cook County Health clinic in Bronzeville, standing alongside Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.
A House vote is scheduled this week on ACA credits, but Senate Republicans have opposed a simple extension. It is unclear, however, whether they have reached a compromise bill of their own.
Kelly on Saturday similarly condemned Trump’s attack on Venezuela in a statement, saying the president’s actions do “nothing to lower the cost of living for Americans and does everything to enrich himself and his billionaire oil-executive friends.”
The attack, Kelly’s statement said, “is shortsighted and drags the U.S. into a reckless conflict that could destabilize the entire region. I demand a vote on the War Powers Resolution to stop President Trump from launching further military action without Congressional approval.”
In a weekend social media post, Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton said the action was “yet another unconstitutional abuse of power, one that puts our troops directly in harm’s way. … His actions are endangering the American people and he must be held accountable.”
For his part, Durbin released a joint statement with Republican U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa about the Trump administration’s decision to exclude the Senate Judiciary Committee from Monday evening’s Capitol Hill briefing on the arrest of Maduro, who was indicted for drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracy. Grassley is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and Durbin is the ranking member.
“President Trump and Secretary Rubio have stated that this was a law enforcement operation that was made at the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) request, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The Senate Judiciary Committee has jurisdiction over DOJ, FBI and DEA, and all three agencies are led by individuals who our Committee vetted and processed. The Attorney General herself will be present at today’s briefing,” the joint statement said. “There is no legitimate basis for excluding the Senate Judiciary Committee from this briefing. The administration’s refusal to acknowledge our Committee’s indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable and we are following up to ensure the Committee receives warranted information regarding Maduro’s arrest.”