Louisiana Congressional Delegation Divided After Maduro Capture in Venezuela

Highlights

• U.S. Delta Force operators captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife overnight in Caracas
• Maduro faces federal narco-terrorism charges in New York after 20-year drug trafficking operation
• House Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Julia Letlow praised operation as protecting American lives
• Louisiana Senators Cassidy and Kennedy have spent years pushing for action against Maduro regime
• Operation marks largest U.S. military action in Latin America since 1989 Panama invasion

Trump Announces Capture of Venezuela’s Maduro in Unprecedented Military Strike

Louisiana’s Congressional Delegation has long called for action against Maduro regime.

LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — President Donald Trump announced Saturday morning that U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife during a large-scale military strike on Venezuela overnight, marking the most significant U.S. military operation in Latin America since the 1989 Panama invasion.

Louisiana’s Republican senators, Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy, have spent years pushing for tougher action against the Maduro regime, which they’ve repeatedly called a “narco-dictatorship” responsible for flooding American communities with drugs.

What Louisiana Needs to Know

The operation began around 2 a.m. local time in Caracas when Delta Force operators captured Maduro and his wife from their bedroom. The couple is now aboard the USS Iwo Jima heading to New York, where they’ll face charges in federal court.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, and weapons possession charges.

The strikes hit multiple military installations across Caracas and surrounding areas, including Venezuela’s largest military complex at Fuerte Tiuna. No U.S. casualties were reported, though Trump said two American troops and a helicopter were hit but returned safely.

Louisiana Lawmakers Divided on Military Operation

Louisiana’s congressional delegation split sharply along party lines in response to the military action.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who represents Louisiana’s 4th Congressional District, called the operation “a decisive and justified operation that will protect American lives.” Johnson said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in the hours after the strike.

“Nicolas Maduro is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans after years of trafficking illegal drugs and violent cartel members into our country,” Johnson said in a statement. He added that Maduro has been “properly indicted in U.S. courts and an arrest warrant duly issued.”

Johnson said the Trump administration is working to schedule briefings for members of Congress when they return to Washington next week.

Congressman Steve Scalise, House Majority Leader representing Louisiana’s 1st District, called Maduro and his regime “narco-terrorists” who have “flooded our country with deadly drugs, killing innocent Americans and destroying families.”

“President Trump continued to take decisive action to put America first and protect the American people by pursuing an arrest warrant for Maduro and his wife,” Scalise said. “The Trump Administration has been clear - if you harm Americans there will be severe consequences.”

Scalise thanked military service members who carried out the mission and said he looks forward to seeing Maduro “face the full force of the American justice system.”

Congresswoman Julia Letlow, who represents Louisiana’s 5th District, said Saturday the operation demonstrated Trump “will not allow traffickers to flood American communities with deadly drugs without accountability.”

“The days of America looking the other way on narco-terrorism are over,” Letlow said in a statement. “I stand with our military and President Trump after a successful operation in Venezuela to protect American lives.”

Congressman Troy Carter, who represents Louisiana’s 2nd District, sharply criticized the strikes as unconstitutional and reckless.

“Trump’s military actions against Venezuela last night were unconstitutional. Period,” Carter said. “This was reckless and risked American lives with no plan for the aftermath.”

Carter said he voted for a war powers resolution to end hostilities against Venezuela without congressional authorization, which failed on a near party-line vote. “Congress cannot stay silent while this president ignores the rule of law,” he added.

Louisiana’s Senators Have Long Opposed Maduro

Both of Louisiana’s senators have been vocal critics of Maduro’s regime for years. Senator Bill Cassidy joined Senator Marco Rubio in July 2024 in a joint statement calling Maduro a dictator who “once again stolen a presidential election.”

Senator John Kennedy has repeatedly introduced legislation, including the No Dollars for Dictators Act, to prevent taxpayer money from flowing to the Maduro regime. Kennedy has also called on previous administrations to unleash American energy production so the U.S. doesn’t need to rely on Venezuela for oil.

In early 2024, Cassidy joined Rubio in demanding President Biden reimpose sanctions on the Maduro regime after it violated the Barbados agreement on democratic elections.

Following Saturday's operation, Cassidy said the "targeted extraction addresses U.S. national security concerns" and praised the armed forces and law enforcement for executing the mission.

"As Secretary Rubio has pointed out, Maduro is not the elected head of Venezuela. He stole the election," Cassidy said. "He has been heavily involved with transnational criminal organizations, drug running, and Iran-backed terrorists like Hezbollah."

Cassidy noted that Cuba and Nicaragua, both heavily reliant on Venezuelan support, could face instability without U.S. intervention. "These two dominos might fall without the U.S. doing any more," he said.

The Louisiana senator agreed with Trump that restarting Venezuelan oil production "will create the wealth needed to rebuild Venezuela and allow the Venezuelans who have fled Maduro to return to their homeland and rebuild their future."

National Congressional Response Split Along Party Lines

Republican lawmakers across the country quickly praised the operation. Senate Intelligence Chair Tom Cotton said Rubio confirmed Maduro would “face justice for his crimes against our citizens,” adding the interim Venezuelan government must decide whether to continue drug trafficking or “act like a normal nation.”

Democratic lawmakers sharply criticized the strikes as illegal and unauthorized. Senator Ruben Gallego of Arizona, an Iraq War veteran, called it an “unjustified war” that Congress never authorized.

Massachusetts Rep. Jim McGovern called it an “unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela,” while New Jersey Senator Andy Kim said the strike “sends a horrible and disturbing signal” that targeting heads of state is acceptable U.S. policy.

Background on U.S.-Venezuela Tensions

The Trump administration has designated Maduro as head of a foreign terrorist organization, putting him on the same list as al-Qaeda and Houthi rebels. The U.S. had offered a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest.

Maduro was first charged in the U.S. in 2020 with narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. Federal prosecutors alleged he partnered with Colombian rebel groups to “flood the United States with drugs” while running what they described as a 20-year criminal enterprise using Venezuelan state resources.

Since September, the U.S. military has carried out dozens of strikes on boats in the Caribbean and Pacific that Trump says have been carrying illegal drugs from Venezuela. Those strikes have killed at least 115 people.

The White House briefed congressional leadership only after the operation began, not seeking advance authorization. Trump is scheduled to hold a press conference at Mar-a-Lago at 11 a.m. ET Saturday to provide additional details.

What’s Next for Venezuela

Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez confirmed the government doesn’t know Maduro’s whereabouts and demanded “proof of life” from the Trump administration.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, has called for democratically elected Edmundo Gonzalez to assume power as Venezuela’s legitimate president.

International reaction has been sharply divided. Brazilian President Lula da Silva condemned the strikes as crossing “an unacceptable line” and violating international law, while Argentina’s President Javier Milei celebrated the capture.

Venezuela has requested an urgent United Nations Security Council meeting in response to what its government called “grave military aggression” against Venezuelan territory.