Democrats Side With America’s ENEMIES

Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered a pointed reminder to Senate Democrats that the only nations criticizing America’s successful raid to remove Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro were adversaries China, Russia, Iran, and Hamas—a telling revelation about who really opposes American strength.

Story Snapshot

Rubio testified before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on January 28, 2026, defending the targeted raid that ousted Maduro with zero U.S. casualties
Only China, Russia, Iran, and Hamas criticized the operation, exposing which regimes benefit from Venezuelan corruption and narcotrafficking
Democrats questioned costs reaching up to $1 billion while ignoring the raid’s success in disrupting a criminal state threatening hemispheric security
Interim leader Delcy Rodríguez now cooperates with U.S. sanctions enforcement and energy sector opening, despite Democratic concerns about her background

Rubio Exposes Democrat Alignment With Adversaries

Marco Rubio reminded Senate Democrats that their criticism of the Venezuela raid placed them in troubling company. China, Russia, Iran, and Hamas were the only entities condemning America’s law enforcement action against Maduro’s criminal regime. This stark reality revealed which nations benefit from Venezuelan corruption, narcotrafficking, and authoritarian control. Rubio framed the operation as a targeted, brief raid arresting a dictator—not a war or occupation—achieving total success without a single U.S. casualty or boots on the ground.

Democrats Prioritize Costs Over Criminal State Disruption

Democratic senators including Jeanne Shaheen and Chris Murphy focused questioning on the raid’s price tag, estimated between hundreds of millions to $1 billion including naval blockade operations. Yet this criticism ignored the strategic victory achieved: dismantling a narcotrafficking hub with ties to Iran, China, and Russia that threatened regional stability. Senator Jim Risch praised the raid’s success, noting zero casualties demonstrated precise execution. Rubio defended the operation as necessary after Maduro repeatedly broke deals, including Biden-era election agreements the world recognized as illegitimate.

Interim Leader Cooperation Advances American Energy Interests

Delcy Rodríguez, Venezuela’s interim leader and former vice president, pledged maximum cooperation with U.S. sanctions enforcement and energy sector opening to American firms. Democrats raised concerns about her DEA-flagged connections to drug trafficking and foreign influence, questioning whether swapping one problematic leader for another served U.S. interests. Rubio proposed unprecedented oversight requiring monthly Venezuelan budget submissions to Washington, ensuring accountability during the transition. This arrangement prioritizes American leverage while disrupting prior Chinese and Russian dominance over Venezuela’s oil resources.

The naval quarantine enforces sanctions compliance while preventing regime elements from undermining stabilization efforts. Rubio emphasized the transition would not be fast or easy, requiring pragmatic interim arrangements to prevent total collapse. Republicans backed this measured approach as necessary to transform Venezuela from a criminal state into a responsible partner. Senator Rand Paul challenged whether the operation constituted an act of war, but Rubio maintained the law enforcement framing distinguished it from invasion or occupation precedents.

Setting Precedent Against Criminal Regimes

The Venezuela operation establishes crucial precedent for addressing authoritarian regimes sustained by corruption and narcotrafficking. Maduro’s repeated deal-breaking, even avoiding Vatican engagement due to his unreliability, proved diplomacy exhausted its options. The raid’s precision—achieving arrests without prolonged military engagement—demonstrates American capability to enforce consequences against criminal states threatening hemispheric security. Venezuelan citizens now have hope for progress from decades of corruption, while regional allies gain security benefits from disrupted drug trafficking networks feeding America’s borders.

Energy markets stand to stabilize as Venezuelan oil production normalizes under U.S.-aligned management rather than adversarial control. The Trump administration’s willingness to use targeted force when diplomatic channels fail sends clear messages to other corrupt regimes. Democrats demanding instant democratic benchmarks ignore the complex reality of transitioning from criminal control, where interim cooperation prevents power vacuums worse than managed stabilization. Taxpayers funding the blockade invest in long-term security gains outweighing short-term costs, particularly when only America’s enemies opposed the action.