U.S. missile strikes on suspected narco-trafficking boats near Venezuela are making waves, and not just on the high seas.
Top Democrats and congressional leaders, after a classified briefing on Capitol Hill this Wednesday, November 5, 2025, voiced strong confidence in the intelligence behind these maritime strikes while sharply criticizing the Biden administration for not taking a firmer stand against Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro following the disputed election in July 2024, as Fox News reports.
Let’s rewind to that contentious Venezuelan election last summer, where independent monitors and Western governments recognized opposition candidate Edmundo González as the rightful victor.
Despite the outcry over Maduro clinging to power, the Biden team imposed sanctions on his top officials but stopped short of broader restrictions on Venezuela’s oil sector, citing concerns over global fuel prices and migration spikes.
Fast forward to recent months, and the U.S. has unleashed a series of missile strikes in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, targeting vessels linked to cocaine trafficking, some of which flows through Venezuela.
According to U.S. officials, these operations have taken out 63 suspected traffickers, a number that raises eyebrows about the scale—and the silence—surrounding this campaign.
On November 5, 2025, congressional leaders from both parties got the lowdown in a closed-door briefing led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, War Secretary Pete Hegseth, and senior Pentagon lawyers.
While many, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, backed the intelligence justifying the strikes, lawmakers grumbled about being left in the dark as the Pentagon fired away without prior consultation.
“We have exquisite intelligence about these strikes on these vessels,” Johnson affirmed, underscoring trust in the data pinpointing the boats and their crews.
Yet, not everyone’s singing the same tune—some Democrats and even bipartisan voices expressed unease about the broader strategy, or lack thereof, behind these maritime hits.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., didn’t hold back, stating, “I frankly think the Biden administration didn’t go far enough after the Venezuelan people voted overwhelmingly to get rid of Maduro.” His point stings—when a nation cries for change under threat of violence, shouldn’t America lead the charge instead of tiptoeing around oil markets?
Warner’s frustration echoes a missed chance to rally Latin American allies against Maduro, a fumble that could haunt U.S. credibility in the region for years.
Officials at the briefing made it clear there are no plans to expand this campaign to land operations or to target Maduro directly, sticking to a narrow focus on halting cocaine flows rather than addressing fentanyl or other regional drug issues.
Details on the campaign’s duration, specific casualties, or hard evidence tying targets to trafficking remain murky, leaving Congress with more questions than answers about where this all leads.
Still, with the Justice Department dangling a $50 million bounty for Maduro’s arrest and U.S. officials not ruling out these strikes as a pressure tactic, one wonders if the administration’s restraint is strategic—or just spineless in the face of a dictator who’s long overstayed his welcome.
