Joint resolution condemning the January 3, 2026, U.S. military incursion in Venezuela and imploring that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, be released from U.S. custody; that all U.S. military forces recently deployed in the Caribbean Sea and the eastern Pacific Ocean be withdrawn immediately; that Venezuelans be allowed to exercise their right to political self-determination on their own accord; and that the United States abandon any intentions or plans to repeat a similar intervention to disrupt or destroy the right to self-determination and political sovereignty of any other nationa similar intervention to disrupt or destroy the right to self-determination and political sovereignty of any other nation

2025-2026 Regular Session Introduced by Angela Arsenault and 20 co-sponsors

Vermont condemns a 2026 U.S. military action in Venezuela and demands troop withdrawal, Maduro's release, and Venezuelan self-determination rights.

Read first time, treated as a bill, and referred to the Committee on Government Operations and Military Affairs

Legislative bill overview

This joint resolution condemns a hypothetical January 3, 2026 U.S. military incursion into Venezuela and demands the release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from U.S. custody. The bill calls for immediate withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, affirms Venezuela's right to political self-determination, and pledges the U.S. will not attempt similar interventions elsewhere.

Why is this important

This resolution addresses fundamental questions about U.S. foreign policy, military intervention, and national sovereignty—issues that generate intense debate between those prioritizing humanitarian concerns and those emphasizing regional security interests. The bill reflects growing legislative interest in constraining unilateral military action and rebalancing executive power over foreign military operations.

Potential points of contention

Factual basis: The bill references events from January 2026 as established fact, though it appears to address a hypothetical or disputed military action, creating ambiguity about what actually occurred

Executive authority versus legislative oversight: Whether Congress should preemptively constrain military operations and whether such resolutions are binding or merely symbolic

Venezuelan political legitimacy: Fundamental disagreement over Maduro's governmental legitimacy, with supporters viewing him as democratically elected and critics characterizing his administration as authoritarian

Non-intervention principle: Tension between respecting national sovereignty and international intervention justified by humanitarian or security rationales