Republican Sen. Rand Paul took aim at Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he continues criticizing the Trump administration over its military pressure campaign against Venezuela.
"There are some people surrounding President Trump, like Marco Rubio, who are secretly pushing for regime change in Venezuela. They seem to forget that war powers belong to Congress, not the president. Any step toward regime change in Venezuela is too serious to bypass Congress," Paul said in a social media publication.
There are some people surrounding President Trump, like Marco Rubio, who are secretly pushing for regime change in Venezuela. They seem to forget that war powers belong to Congress, not the president.
— Rand Paul (@RandPaul) December 5, 2025
Any step toward regime change in Venezuela is too serious to bypass Congress.…
The post included a link to an op-ed in the Daily Caller, in which he urged the administration to "change course" and not forcefully remove authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro.
It is the latest move by Paul as he seeks to prevent the Trump administration to launch a military attack against the South American country.
He is also set to refile a War Powers Resolution demanding the Trump administration not to declare war against Venezuela without congressional approval.
The first attempt failed, but Democratic Sen. Time Kaine expressed confidence in the new attempt, saying that the vote was "before all of these assets have amassed around Venezuela, and before President Trump said that the airspace needs to be closed."
"The circumstances have changed in the months since we had that vote. In each of these instances, we were able to get two Republicans to vote together with Democrats," Kaine added.
He went on to make reference to a report claiming that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed all members aboard an alleged drug boat be killed, an order that prompted forces to conduct a second strike to finish off survivors. "We do believe that we will get more support for these motions when they are refiled," Kaine said.
Paul, on his end, has repeatedly criticized the administration for its actions, saying in late November that it is "pretending we are 'at war'" to "justify blowing up boats all without a vote, without transparency and without answering to Congress."
"If it's war, declare it. If it's not, stop acting like it is," Paul said in a social media publication that included an appearance on CBS News' Face the Nation.
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