Trump Plans to Inform Congress About Military Actions in Venezuela
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, President Trump revealed his intention to notify Congress about plans to strike land-based cartel targets in Venezuela, building on ongoing military operations at sea.
“We’re going to Congress. Honestly, I don’t see why we shouldn’t get involved,” Trump mentioned during a White House event, emphasizing a federal crackdown that recently resulted in the arrest of around 3,200 individuals believed to be affiliated with drug cartels.
“People often say, ‘Oh, I wish I hadn’t participated,’ but we’re definitely going to go through with this,” he added.
The administration began targeting drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast on September 2, and ground attack threats have been issued for several weeks.
“I don’t think a formal declaration of war is necessary. We’re just going to take out the people bringing drugs into our nation. They’re going to be done for, no question about it,” Trump stated.
He further expressed that combating drug cartels and his upcoming summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping could help reduce the alarming rise in U.S. overdose deaths that peaked under former President Biden.
According to Trump, fentanyl—responsible for approximately 330,000 American deaths over the last five years—has been shipped through Venezuela by Chinese manufacturers to evade strict port controls in the U.S. and Mexico.
“That’s true,” he affirmed.
He elaborated on his discussions with Xi, stating, “The first thing I ask about is fentanyl.” He noted that the U.S. is currently imposing a 20% tariff on the substance, while China incurs significant financial losses due to this measure.
“Come November 1, tariffs will hit a staggering 157%. They’ll struggle with that, it’s not a sustainable situation for them,” Trump remarked.
“They make around $100 million from selling fentanyl in our market—that’s a massive profit. But they could lose $100 billion under the current tariff. That’s not exactly a smart business model for them,” he pointed out. “It’s a steep fine, so I think there’s a desire on their end to reconsider these dealings.”
Trump concluded, “That ought to be atop their agenda.”
