Schumer Demands Classified Senate Briefing from Sen. Rubio on U.S. Military Buildup Near Venezuela

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Wednesday pressed U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio to provide a classified, all-senators briefing about reported U.S. military activity and plans related to Venezuela. Schumer said Congress has not been properly consulted as military operations in the region intensify.

“I’m demanding @SecRubio provide an All-Senators classified briefing on Trump’s military buildup and reported plans for military operations in Venezuela,”

Schumer added that the administration’s actions risk drawing the United States into another prolonged conflict:

“The last thing Americans want right now is another endless war.”

Sen. Marco Rubio announced that the United States will designate Venezuela’s so-called Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO), publicly accusing President Nicolás Maduro of leading the group.

“Based in Venezuela, the Cartel de los Soles is headed by Nicolás Maduro and other high‑ranking individuals of the illegitimate Maduro regime who have corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature, and judiciary,”

— statement attributed to Sen. Rubio.

Rubio said the Cartel de los Soles, together with other groups he identified — including Tren de Aragua and the Sinaloa Cartel — are responsible for regional violence and trafficking drugs into the United States and Europe.

Democratic members of the House Armed Services Committee have expressed frustration after a prior classified briefing about strikes on vessels allegedly transporting drugs across the Caribbean. Lawmakers say they need clearer consultation from the executive branch before further military action moves forward.

In recent days, following the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford in the Caribbean, U.S. forces struck a vessel described by officials as tied to narco‑trafficking; three people were reported killed in that operation. The strike was conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear, a counternarcotics task force within U.S. Southern Command that was formed in October.

Officials say the administration has ordered strikes on more than 20 alleged drug‑smuggling boats since September, resulting in a reported 83 deaths; U.S. authorities have described people aboard some vessels as “narco‑terrorists.”

The U.S. military has also resumed jungle‑warfare training in Panama for the first time in more than two decades. The new Combined Jungle Operations Training Course recently included weapons drills and survival exercises such as shelter construction, water purification, and navigation through dense vegetation.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has publicly called for peace with the United States. President Donald Trump, speaking to reporters on Air Force One last week, said he had “sort of made up” his mind on possible military options and added:

“I can’t tell you what it is, but we made a lot of progress with Venezuela in terms of stopping drugs from pouring in.”

Lawmakers from both parties have emphasized the need for greater transparency and formal consultation with Congress before escalation. The State Department did not immediately comment.