Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said Sunday that the United States is effectively engaged in an “ongoing war” with Venezuela, pointing to recent U.S. actions involving the country’s oil and military pressure under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Paul argued that current U.S. policy toward Venezuela amounts to sustained military conflict rather than limited intervention.
“That is an act of war, it’s an ongoing war, to continue to take their oil, ongoing war, to distribute it,” Paul said.
“I still hope it works out for the best, but we are still involved in an active war with Venezuela,” he added.
Paul also claimed that the United States maintains a de facto naval blockade.
“We still have hundreds of ships with a 100% blockade of the coast,” the senator said.
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Comments Follow U.S. Action Against Maduro
Paul’s remarks come after a U.S. operation targeting Venezuela that resulted in the arrest of the nation’s former dictator Nicolás Maduro, followed by the Trump administration’s seizure of a Venezuelan oil tanker.
Venezuela remains one of the world’s largest oil producers, and its energy sector has become a focal point of U.S. policy.
Administration officials have said oil shipments to the United States will begin immediately, with an initial delivery of roughly 30 million to 50 million barrels and continued shipments expected indefinitely.
President Trump previously addressed the issue on Truth Social, stating that revenue from Venezuelan oil sales would be overseen by the U.S. government.
“This Oil will be sold at its Market Price, and that money will be controlled by me, as President of the United States of America, to ensure it is used to benefit the people of Venezuela and the United States!” Trump wrote.
Trump has also said the United States would continue “running” Venezuela for longer than a few months, arguing that stabilizing the country will take time.
He and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said Venezuela, now led by interim acting President Delcy Rodríguez, must undergo a transition period before elections can be held.
War Powers Debate Resurfaces
Paul is part of a bipartisan group of lawmakers seeking to limit Trump’s ability to carry out further military action against Venezuela without explicit congressional approval.
The group attempted last week to pass a War Powers resolution that would restrict additional intervention, but the measure failed in the Senate.
“The only problem about a war powers vote now is that, since it hasn’t happened, there are a lot of Republicans who say, ‘Oh, that’s prospective. I’m not going to tie his hands prospectively,’” Paul said.
“The problem is, if you wait until after an invasion, whereas the administration argues, we don’t know it’s a war until we count the casualties,” he added.
“That’s sort of a crazy definition of war, because our job is to initiate or declare war.”
Public Opinion Split
Paul’s comments come amid mixed public sentiment.
A recent Quinnipiac University poll found that more than half of U.S. voters oppose the Trump administration’s direct running of Venezuela, even as the administration argues that decisive action is necessary to secure energy supplies, counter foreign influence, and stabilize the region.
The remarks highlight an ongoing divide within the Republican Party between foreign-policy hawks backing Trump’s assertive approach and constitutional conservatives warning that the United States is drifting into another undeclared war.
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