Stop Escalation with Venezuela and Protect American Priorities

The United States now has the largest military buildup in the Caribbean since the end of the Cold War, with around 15,000 troops, multiple warships, and carrier strike groups positioned near Venezuela under the stated goal of counter‑narcotics operations. Critics, including regional leaders like Brazil’s president, warn that armed intervention or further escalation would be catastrophic, risk a humanitarian disaster, and damage U.S. standing in the hemisphere. Latin American allies have urged restraint and peaceful solutions, not war, because a military conflict would worsen instability, deepen mistrust of the United States, and derail cooperation against drug trafficking and other shared security challenges. Military operations of this scale also come with high costs and unclear benefits for the American people. Analyses show that attempting regime change or expanded strikes into Venezuelan territory would require sustained deployments far beyond the current force, at an estimated cost of billions of dollars annually to taxpayers and with little evidence it would reduce the flow of drugs into the United States. History shows that prolonged foreign wars divert resources from critical domestic priorities like health care, infrastructure, and economic growth, while often entangling U.S. forces in protracted conflict with no clear exit strategy. Congress must make clear that any further military action against Venezuela requires explicit authorization, and instead direct attention and funding to problems Americans face at home.