Kaine Renews Call for Answers from Trump Administration Over Military Buildup Near Venezuela & Illegal Lethal Boat Strikes
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, released the following statement regarding the Trump Administration’s military buildup off the coast of Venezuela and ongoing unlawful strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. The strikes began on September 2, 2025 and have killed at least 82 unknown people across 21 acknowledged attacks:
“Earlier this month, it was publicly reported that the United Kingdom’s attorney general was urging ministers to cut off intelligence sharing with the United States over serious concerns about the legality of the Trump Administration’s unauthorized and lethal strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean. Today, it was publicly reported that the senior lawyer at SOUTHCOM, the combatant command overseeing those strikes, disagreed with the Administration’s assertion that these strikes are legal, and was overruled. Given those realities, and the fact that the Administration is weighing land strikes in Venezuela and amassing an enormous number of military assets in the region, it’s long past time for Congress to finally get substantive and complete answers to the questions Democratic and Republican lawmakers have been asking for months, and for the Administration to be transparent about its strategic intentions in the region. The American people have no interest in stumbling into an illegal new war that would place the lives of our servicemembers at risk. ”
On November 11, 2025, it was reported that the U.K. spy agencies and military stopped sharing intelligence with the U.S. about suspected drug trafficking vessels following an order by the country’s attorney general. On November 15, 2025, additional reporting shed light on the strain the Administration’s strikes were putting on the United States’ relationships with other allies, including those critical to joint counternarcotics efforts. On November 20, 2025, it was reported that SOUTHCOM’s senior military lawyer raised serious concerns over the legality of the Trump Administration’s plans to begin the boat strikes.
Shortly after the first strike, Kaine led 24 of his Senate colleagues in pressing the Trump Administration for answers to a series of questions, including the legal justification for the strikes, who was targeted, why the targets were destroyed rather than interdicted as a means of gathering additional intelligence to assist counternarcotics efforts, whether assessments had been made about potential responses to the strikes such as violent action in the United States, and more. Kaine did not receive a response. The following month, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-MS) and Ranking Member Jack Reed (D-RI) announced that two letters they sent to the Administration requesting key information about the strikes had also gone unanswered.
On October 8, 2025, the Senate voted on a War Powers Resolution led by Kaine and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) that would have blocked the continued use of U.S. Armed Forces in the southern Caribbean Sea without an Authorization of Military Force (AUMF) by Congress. On November 6, 2025, the Senate voted on a separate War Powers Resolution led by Kaine, Schiff, and U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) that would have blocked the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless that action has been authorized by Congress. Neither resolution gained enough Republican support to pass.
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