US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has demanded answers from the administration of US President Donald Trump over its actions in Venezuela, warning that American involvement could escalate into what he described as "endless wars."
Speaking on the Senate floor as Congress returned for the new year, Schumer said lawmakers were seeking urgent briefings from senior administration officials.
"House and Senate leaders will meet with senior administration officials to ask questions about what is going on in Venezuela, try to get to the bottom of it and what the plan is moving forward," he said.
He added that an all-senators briefing was being organised later this week and said he had demanded the briefings immediately after the strike on Saturday.
"The administration owes Congress and the American people some pretty basic answers to many important questions," Schumer said.
The Democratic leader criticised Trump’s approach, warning that it risked broader military engagement.
"The chaos Donald Trump has engendered in Venezuela leads him on in his mind to think he should try the same thing in Colombia, in Iran, even in Greenland," Schumer said.
"But the danger in Venezuela is only beginning. Donald Trump has opened a Pandora’s box, and things will get out of hand very quickly."
Schumer pressed the administration for clarity on whether the United States intended to engage in nation-building, deploy troops on the ground, and how long any involvement might last, as well as the potential financial cost.
He said such questions must be answered to Congress and the American public before any further steps are taken.
Schumer also said Americans "did not sign up for another round of endless wars" and expected the administration to focus on domestic priorities, including health care, housing, energy and the cost of groceries.
"Donald Trump’s promise to keep us out of foreign entanglements is now as worthless as his promise to release the Epstein files," he added.
