Congressional leaders received their first classified briefing Monday on the Trump administration’s military operation in Venezuela, which resulted in the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. The two-hour meeting with top administration officials quickly exposed partisan divides over the action’s implications and next steps.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan “Raizin” Caine, and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth attended the closed-door session but did not speak publicly afterward. The briefing included congressional leadership and the chairs and ranking members of armed services, intelligence, and foreign relations committees.

House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized that U.S. forces would not maintain a presence in Venezuela. “We are not at war,” Johnson told reporters. “We do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country.” He characterized the operation not as regime change but as “a demand for change of behavior by a regime,” noting that an interim government has been established.

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast reinforced this position, describing the operation as a “specific law enforcement function” that removed “a significant obstacle” for Venezuelan self-determination. Mast expressed confidence that further military intervention would be unnecessary, stating, “These things are done before breakfast. They don’t do protracted war operations.”

However, Democratic leaders expressed significant concerns following the briefing. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the meeting “posed far more questions than it ever answered” and criticized the administration’s plans as “vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying.”

A key point of contention emerged regarding U.S. involvement in Venezuela’s governance. President Trump had previously stated the U.S. would govern Venezuela until a proper transition of power occurred, raising questions about American intervention in the country’s sovereignty.

“I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries,” Schumer said, adding, “When the United States engages in this kind of regime change and so-called nation building, it always ends up hurting the United States. I left the briefing feeling that it would again.”

The operation, dubbed “Operation Absolute Resolve,” has prompted Schumer and Senators Tim Kaine, Adam Schiff, and Rand Paul to announce plans to force a vote on a war powers resolution later this week. If passed, the resolution would require congressional approval before the administration could take additional military action in Venezuela.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune struck a more positive tone, describing the briefing as “very comprehensive” and expressing satisfaction with the information provided. A full briefing for all lawmakers on Operation Absolute Resolve is scheduled later this week.

Senator Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, acknowledged the military’s “brilliant execution” of the mission and conceded that “the region was better off without Maduro.” However, Warner echoed Schumer’s concerns about long-term strategy, asking, “The question becomes, as policymakers, what happens the day after?”

The Venezuela operation represents one of the Trump administration’s most significant foreign policy actions, with potential ramifications for U.S. relations throughout Latin America. Venezuela possesses some of the world’s largest proven oil reserves, making its political stability particularly significant for global energy markets and American petroleum companies.

The situation remains fluid as lawmakers await further details on how the administration plans to manage the transition of power in Venezuela and what level of ongoing U.S. involvement can be expected in the coming months.