Editor’s note: This story will be updated as more information and more responses are available. Email your opinion on what happened in Venezuela to nancywestnews@gmail and we will post a separate reaction story. U.S. Senators Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen, U.S. Reps Chris Pappas and Maggie Goodlander, all Democrats, have responded at the end of this story.

Update Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026: Protesting U.S. Military Action in Venezuela Today, Jan. 4 in NH

President Donald Trump says the United States has captured Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and posted a photo on social medial of Maduro aboard the U.S. USS Iwo Jima. The U.S. will run Venezuela in the meantime, according to published reports.

The Guardian newspaper reported the U.S. flew them out of the South American country during an early morning attack on Caracas and the surrounding region.

“It was a brilliant operation, actually,” the US president told the New York Times after witnesses in Venezuela reported a series of explosions. “A lot of good planning and [a] lot of great, great troops and great people.”

According to The Guardian: “The US attorney general, Pam Bondi, said the couple would face criminal charges and trial in the US based on a 2020 New York indictment. In a social media post, she said they would ‘soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.'”

U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s press release below:

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement on the Trump Administration’s military action in Venezuela.

“Nicolas Maduro is a tyrant who repressed Venezuelans and aligned with our adversaries. However, today’s drastic military operation by President Trump on Venezuelan soil is entirely inconsistent with what his cabinet repeatedly briefed to Congress and goes against the expressed wishes of the American people. These strikes draw America even deeper into open conflict at grave risk to our service members and reportedly resulted in injured American troops—which we need more information about immediately.

“Because the President and his Cabinet repeatedly denied any intention of conducting regime change in Venezuela when briefing Congress, we are left with no understanding of how the Administration is preparing to mitigate risks to the U.S. and we have no information regarding a long-term strategy following today’s extraordinary escalation. Instead, the Administration consistently misled the American people and their elected representatives by offering three differing and contradictory explanations for its actions.

“The American people and Congress deserve transparency and real, concrete answers about what is happening in our own hemisphere. We need to hear directly from the President on why his varying justifications to date warrant dragging America into an armed conflict without a clear end. We need to know how President Trump will prevent Maduro’s lieutenants and criminal gangs from filling the power vacuum that his unilateral action is likely to create. And the Administration should explain how it intends to prevent Venezuela from collapsing into further instability.

“Today’s actions risk broader insecurity in the region, including the migration of millions more refugees fleeing for the U.S. and other countries, like Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, that are already overwhelmed by the drug crisis. If the President is confident that today’s military action will not result in unintended consequences for Americans, he should be honest with our country about his reasoning and next steps.

“I urge the Trump Administration to immediately brief Congress on these actions when the Senate returns to Washington on Monday—if not, sooner.” 

Congressman Chris Pappas, R-NH, released the following statement: Today Congressman Chris Pappas (NH-01) released the following statement on U.S. military action in Venezuela:

“I am grateful for the skill and bravery of our American service members involved in this operation. President Maduro was a repressive dictator propped up by his authoritarian allies in Moscow and Beijing. However, a military operation of this kind done without Congressional approval sets a dangerous precedent for our own country and could lead to greater instability around the world. This administration must come to Congress immediately to explain its actions and its strategy to protect our national security. America cannot be once again embroiled in an endless nation building exercise and foreign war.”

Goodlander Statement on American Military Action in Venezuela

Concord, N.H. — Today, following American military action in Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro, Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander — a former Naval Intelligence Officer for over a decade and a Member of the House Armed Services Committee — released the following statement:

“Granite Staters are feeling the pain of a full-blown affordability crisis in America, and President Trump is focused on running another country. 

“The President’s address to the nation about the large-scale military action he unilaterally ordered on Venezuela without congressional authorization or a credible explanation leaves the American people with more concerns and questions than answers. 

“President Trump has asserted that the United States will ‘run’ Venezuela in the wake of this action. How will this make the American people safer? How will this address the real pain Granite Staters are feeling because of the sky-high cost of living here at home? And what is the legal justification for such an action? 

“The United States Constitution entrusts the United States Congress with war powers for very good reasons. The Trump Administration must immediately and truthfully answer questions about the motivation and legality of this unilateral military action, the potential for any further escalation, and the plan for peace. The American people deserve answers and accountability, and I will not back down until we get both.”

Congresswoman Goodlander, a Member of the House Armed Services Committee and a former intelligence officer in the United States Navy Reserve, is leading the No Unauthorized War with Venezuela Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation prohibits the executive branch from spending any federal funds on the use of military force inside Venezuela or against Venezuelan forces, including remote or intermittent strikes, unless Congress passes a specific Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF). 

Senator Hassan Statement on Military Action in Venezuela

WASHINGTON – “Today, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) released the following statement on U.S. military action in Venezuela:

“The people of New Hampshire do not want to be dragged into another foreign war, especially by a President who has failed to articulate a clear strategy or purpose for attacking a sovereign nation and, in so doing, destabilizing much of the Western Hemisphere and calling into question our country’s commitment to a rules-based international order.

“Nicolas Maduro was a brutal dictator who trafficked drugs across the world and helped America’s adversaries thrive. But I have deep concerns about the President’s unilateral decision to launch a large-scale military operation on foreign soil and with no clear strategy to limit our involvement and prevent us from being dragged into another endless war.

“Our Constitution vests the power to declare war in Congress to ensure that the American people have a voice in deciding whether to put our service members and our country at risk. The President needs to provide information about how he plans to deal with the instability that this action creates and what comes next. In the meantime, I am praying for the service members who were injured in this operation and for the brave men and women who serve in our armed forces around the world.”