Venezuela moving closer to US, no immediate military action planned, says Rubio in Senate hearing

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate on Wednesday that Venezuela’s new leadership was moving toward closer relations with Washington, reducing the immediate need for further US military action, as he faced lawmakers’ questions for the first time since this month’s operation to seize President Nicolas Maduro.

President Donald Trump has instructed his administration to work with Delcy Rodriguez, a close Maduro ally who was sworn in as interim president following his arrest, though he has previously warned that further military action remains an option if her government fails to meet US demands.

According to a Reuters report, addressing a packed Senate hearing, Rubio said that while the administration would not rule out any course of action, “we are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to, have to take any military action in Venezuela,” a remark that signalled Washington’s current confidence in Rodriguez’s interim government.

“The only military presence you will see in Venezuela is our Marine guards at an embassy. That is our goal. That is our expectation,” Reuters quoted Rubio as saying.

Rubio said communications with Venezuela’s leadership had been “very respectful and productive,” adding that Washington expected to soon reopen a diplomatic presence in the country.

The US embassy in Caracas has been closed since 2019, though the State Department has in recent weeks dispatched officials to begin preparations for its reopening.

“For the first time in 20 years, we are having serious conversations about eroding and eliminating the Iranian presence, the Chinese influence, the Russian presence as well. In fact, I will tell you that there are many elements there in Venezuela that welcome a return to establishing relations with the United States on multiple fronts,” he said.

Rubio was scheduled to meet Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado at the State Department later on Wednesday, as questions persist over whether President Donald Trump could back her to lead Venezuela following the removal of  Maduro.

Two weeks earlier, Republicans narrowly blocked a resolution that would have prevented Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote.

Addressing the committee, Rubio said Maduro’s removal was necessary because Venezuela had become a hub for US adversaries such as China, Russia and Iran, and because his alleged links to drug traffickers were harming both the region and the United States.

“It was an untenable situation and it had to be addressed,” Rubio said.

The US had set up a mechanism to sell Venezuelan oil in the short term but aimed to facilitate a transition to “a friendly, stable, prosperous Venezuela” that ultimately chooses its leaders through free and fair elections, Rubio said.

‘Without precedent’

Several members of Congress, some Republicans as well as Democrats, have expressed frustration with what they say is a lack of communication from Trump officials about major operations, including the capture of Maduro and the elimination of many foreign aid programs supported by Congress.

Committee Chairman Jim Risch, a Republican senator from Idaho, praised Rubio for explaining to him the administration’s plans for Venezuela, despite “confusion over how it will be done.”

The war powers resolution appeared to be on track to pass the Senate after five Republicans joined Democrats in voting to advance it, in rare Republican opposition to Trump.

But Trump railed at the five, saying they should never again be elected to public office. He and Rubio made repeated calls encouraging senators to change their votes by insisting there were no U.S. troops in Venezuela, and with promises including Rubio’s agreement to come before the Senate committee. Two of them, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, flipped their positions.

The close vote reflected concern in Congress about Trump’s foreign policy and growing support for the argument that Congress should take back the power to send U.S. troops to war from the president, as spelled out in the Constitution.

Members of Congress, including some of Trump’s fellow Republicans, said Rubio had insisted the administration did not plan a leadership change in Venezuela just days before U.S. troops removed Maduro, and that oil company executives were told about the operation before lawmakers.

Some Democrats also raised concerns that the U.S. could be pulled into another long war without consulting Congress.

“The scope of the project that you are undertaking in Venezuela is without precedent,” Democratic Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut said. “You are taking their oil at gunpoint. You are holding and selling that oil, putting for now the receipts in an offshore Middle Eastern account. You’re deciding how and for what purposes that money is going to be used in a country of 30 million people. I think a lot of us believe that that is destined for failure.”