Trump lays out Venezuela oil strategy as Democrats push for war powers vote

The Senate is expected to take a third vote late Thursday morning on another war powers resolution to limit President Trump's ability to strike Venezuela in the future. 

Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat, introduced his latest resolution in early December. It would require "the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress." 

"The indication from the administration [is] that this is not a few days or a few weeks, it's likely a few years of U.S. occupation and involvement in this country," Kaine said Wednesday on the Senate floor. "This is not an arrest warrant. This is far bigger than that." 

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the resolution's lone Republican cosponsor, said earlier this week: "I think bombing a capital and removing the head of state is by all definitions, war."

Without additional Republican support, the measure is expected to meet the same fate as two previous failed efforts spearheaded by Kaine to restrict military action in the region.

Many Republicans have backed the mission to capture Maduro and defended the administration for not seeking approval from Congress, arguing the actions are well within the president's constitutional authority and limited in scope. House Speaker Mike Johnson emphasized Wednesday that the U.S. is "not involved with boots on the ground."

Members of the Trump administration, including the president, have muddied the legal arguments by claiming that the mission to capture Maduro was a law enforcement operation that didn't require sign-off from Congress.

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Lawmakers offered sharply divided reactions after the Trump administration briefed House members on Wednesday about last weekend's operation to capture Maduro.

Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York told CBS News' Nikole Killion the administration hasn't been "forthright" or "transparent" about the next steps in Venezuela, and said the classified briefing lacked answers to "basic" questions.

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California praised the military's execution of the operation, but said it is "not clear what comes next." 

House Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Gregory Meeks, a New York Democrat, said he heard "no plan" for governing Venezuela after the operation. 

Meanwhile, House Speaker Mike Johnson argued the mission was justified, and said Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, "gave a very precise, detailed narrative about the operation and what happened."

The Louisiana Republican said the U.S. is "not involved with boots on the ground" in Venezuela and is "not engaging in regime change." 

"It's a competent country with good people," Johnson said. "They just need better governance, and we hope that can be delivered in short order. I think that's the intention, certainly of the administration and of the Congress, and we'll see what happens."

The U.S. carried out operations Wednesday to seize two oil tankers linked to Venezuela — one in the North Atlantic and one in the Caribbean Sea, officials said.

The U.S. European Command confirmed the seizure of the Marinera, formerly known as Bella-1, after American forces began following the tanker in the Atlantic last month. It said the vessel was seized for violations of U.S. sanctions.

Two Defense Department officials told CBS News that Navy SEALs took over the oil tanker. 

U.S. officials also announced on Wednesday that "a stateless, sanctioned dark fleet motor tanker" was seized before dawn in the Caribbean. U.S. Southern Command said the intercepted vessel, M/T Sophia, was "conducting illicit activities."

A total of four sanctioned tankers have been seized in recent weeks, including two last month.

The Marinera flew a Russian flag, and a Russian submarine and other naval vessels had been deployed to escort the tanker as the U.S. followed it, two U.S. officials confirmed to CBS News.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the vessel was "deemed stateless after flying a false flag." She said it was part of a "shadow fleet" that transports oil in violation of sanctions.

But Russia's Ministry of Transport said the Marinera had been given temporary permission to sail under the Russian flag. It responded to the capture by saying that "no state has the right to use force against vessels duly registered under the jurisdiction of other states." 

President Trump said on Truth Social Wednesday that Venezuela will use the money that it draws from a recent oil sale deal with the U.S. on "ONLY American Made Products."

Those purchases could include agricultural products, medicines, medical devices and equipment needed to fix the country's beleaguered electrical grid, Mr. Trump wrote.

"In other words, Venezuela is committing to doing business with the United States of America as their principal partner – A wise choice, and a very good thing for the people of Venezuela, and the United States," the president continued.

Since Maduro's capture, Mr. Trump has focused on Venezuela's oil industry, pressing U.S. companies to enter the country — a move he has suggested could help rebuild the oil-rich nation's crumbling infrastructure.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has argued that oil could serve as a point of leverage over the remnants of the Maduro regime who continue to run Venezuela.

Earlier Wednesday, Rubio announced the U.S. will export between 30 million and 50 million barrels of oil from Venezuela, which will be sold at "market rates," with revenue used "in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people."

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Venezuela's interim government had agreed to release the oil. She added that the proceeds will be put in U.S.-controlled bank accounts and be "dispersed for the benefit of the American people and the Venezuelan people at the discretion of the United States government."

It's not clear how much revenue will be drawn from the oil sales. Venezuelan crude oil, which is tough to refine and has historically faced tight U.S. sanctions, has been sold at a discount in the past, though some refineries on the U.S.'s Gulf Coast are set up to process the kind of heavy crude oil that typically flows from Venezuela, according to Reuters.

The U.S. military action removing Nicolás Maduro from power divides Americans, and their views on it connect to what they think the U.S. goals are and what they believe comes next.

Some 48% of U.S. adults approve of the operation and 52% disapprove, according to a CBS News poll taken between Monday and Wednesday. The margin of error is 2.4 points.

At the moment, most think the Trump administration is among other aims trying to get access to Venezuela's oil and expand U.S. power in the region — and when Americans think those are big parts of the goals, they tend to disapprove.

When people think the goals are a lot about stopping drugs, gangs and terrorists, they are more approving.  That view is largely voiced by Republicans.

Either way, that mix of perceptions is partly because most Americans say the administration hasn't clearly explained the U.S.' plans with Venezuela.

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