Trump to brief Congress on military operations in Venezuela after Asia trip

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said President Donald Trump will brief lawmakers on military operations in the Caribbean, as the president considers ground strikes against Venezuela as part of his anti-drug crusade.

Although Trump has said the at least 10 strikes his administration launched against suspected drug boats were necessary to warn drug traffickers and cartels, lawmakers on both sides have stepped up pressure for additional oversight and evidence supporting the legality of the strikes.

Trump is set to brief them when he returns from his Asia trip that ends Thursday, Graham told “CBS News Sunday Morning.”

“President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress upon his return from Asia about potential future military operations against Venezuela and Colombia,” Graham said. “So there will be a congressional briefing on possible sea-to-land expansion. I support that idea. But I think he has all the authority he needs.”

SENATORS SEEK TO PREVENT Trump from engaging in ‘hostilities’ in Venezuela

Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Donald Trump would brief lawmakers on military operations in the Caribbean. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Additionally, Trump is ready for Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to step down as leader of the country, according to Graham. When asked if a regime change was underway, Graham responded in the affirmative.

“I think President Trump has decided that Maduro, the leader of Venezuela, is an indicted drug trafficker, that it’s time for him to go,” Graham said Sunday, “that Venezuela and Colombia have been havens for narco-terrorists for too long.”

The Trump administration says it does not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and instead views him as the leader of a drug cartel. In August, the Trump administration increased the reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50 million, calling him “one of the world’s largest drug traffickers.”

TRUMP SAYS ‘WE’LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS’ WHEN QUESTIONED ABOUT POSSIBILITY OF BURNING VENEZUELA AMID RAISED TENSIONS

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during Independence Day celebrations, in Caracas, July 5, 2025. (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)

Trump has signaled for weeks that he is considering land operations against Venezuela, and the Pentagon announced Friday that the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford would head to the region.

In response, Maduro accused Trump of “manufacturing a new forever war.”

“They promised they would never get involved in a war again, and they are manufacturing a war,” Maduro said on a national broadcast on Friday.

TRUMP ALL STRIKES US AS MADURO SLAMS MILITARY “THREAT” TO VENEZUELA

The White House neither confirmed nor denied that Trump would brief lawmakers in response to a request for comment from Fox News Digital. However, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital that it has provided Congress with seven separate classified briefings since early September on the issue.

The Trump administration remained relatively reticent when asked about Maduro’s ouster, and Trump refused to answer reporters’ questions earlier in October when asked whether the CIA had the authority to “eliminate” Maduro.

Meanwhile, lawmakers — including some Republicans — are seeking answers to the strikes. For example, Senators Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, and Rand Paul, Republican of Kentucky, introduced a war powers resolution that would prohibit U.S. armed forces from engaging in “hostilities” against Venezuela.

Senator Tim Kaine speaks during a Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing in Washington, March 13, 2025. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“The Trump administration has made clear that it may launch military action within Venezuela’s borders and will not stop at boat strikes in the Caribbean,” Schiff said in an Oct. 17 statement.

“In recent weeks, we have seen increasingly disturbing movements and reporting that contradict claims that this is simply about stopping drug dealers,” Schiff said. “Congress has not authorized military force against Venezuela. And we must assert our authority to prevent the United States from being drawn – intentionally or accidentally – into a full-fledged war in South America.”

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Trump dismissed lawmakers’ concerns about the legality of the strikes and said on Oct. 14 that the suspected drug ships were “fair prey” because they were “laden with drugs.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.