by Karla Ciaglo
HARTFORD, CT – As US military action in Venezuela unfolded early Saturday, Connecticut officials responded sharply, offering different assessments of the legality and wisdom of the operation and raising renewed questions about Congress’s role in authorizing the use of military force.
President Donald Trump announced that US forces had carried out strikes in Venezuela and arrested Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, framing the operation as a law-enforcement action tied to narcotics trafficking. Trump made the announcement during a Saturday news conference from Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Administration officials said the action did not require advance congressional authorization.
The US action prompted immediate public response in Connecticut.
Protests opposing the military operation were organized early Saturday morning and promoted by the Connecticut Citizen Action Group, which circulated calls for demonstrations in Hartford, New Haven and New London through social media and online postings. The protests were coordinated with messaging from the ANSWER Coalition, a national anti-war organization.
Protesters gathered at the Old State House in Hartford on Saturday declaring their dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s actions against Venezuela. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
At the Hartford demonstration, which brought approximately 150 people to the Old State House, speakers criticized the US action in Venezuela and broader US foreign policy.
A member of the Connecticut Palestine Solidarity Coalition, who identified herself only by her first name, Nell, linked US actions in Venezuela to other international conflicts. “There are many similarities between US aggression against Venezuela and Israel’s occupation of Palestine,” she said. “Self-determination is precious and must be defended.”
Another speaker, Julio, a member of the Connecticut Democratic Socialists of America, criticized the use of taxpayer dollars for overseas military operations. “These are our taxes funding the bombs being dropped on Venezuela,” he said. “Who wants war?” Julio asked the crowd which replied “No one.”
Several speakers urged participants to contact Connecticut’s congressional delegation in support of War Powers resolutions aimed at limiting a president’s authority to engage in military action without congressional approval.
Protesters gathered at the Old State House in Hartford on Saturday declaring their dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s actions against Venezuela. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
Connecticut political leaders also issued statements responding to the operation.
In a statement released Saturday, Connecticut Republican Party Chair Ben Proto praised the arrest of Maduro, describing it as a necessary step to combat international drug trafficking. The statement argued that presidents of both parties have long relied on constitutional authority to act against foreign threats and criticized Democratic leaders for opposing the operation, citing overdose deaths in Connecticut and nationally.
State overdose surveillance data show that Connecticut recorded 989 confirmed fatal drug overdoses in 2024, while preliminary data for 2025 show 600 confirmed deaths as of the second week of September. The 2025 Federal NDTA showed that most illicit fentanyl driving Connecticut’s overdose deaths is produced in Mexico using chemical precursors largely sourced from China.
Democratic officials raised concerns about both the process and the lack of congressional involvement.
Protesters gathered at the Old State House in Hartford on Saturday declaring their dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump’s actions against Venezuela. Credit: Karla Ciaglo / CT Newsjunkie
Connecticut Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff, D-Norwalk, said the administration’s action raised constitutional concerns.
“The president does not have the authority to unilaterally launch military action without congressional approval,” Duff said. “Decisions of this magnitude require oversight, accountability, and a clear explanation to the American people, especially when U.S. service members could be placed in harm’s way.”
US Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn, said that while Maduro is a criminal dictator, the administration had not sought congressional authorization before using military force. Blumenthal said Congress should receive detailed information about the legal justification, objectives and potential duration of the operation.
US Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn, questioned the administration’s national security rationale.
“How does going to war in South America help regular Americans who are struggling?” Murphy wrote on social media, adding that there had been “no briefing to explain this action, and no briefing scheduled.”
US Rep. Jim Himes, the ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, also criticized the operation, warning against removing a foreign leader without a clear plan for what follows.
“Removing even an illegitimate leader without a next-day plan is dangerous and irresponsible,” Himes wrote, calling on the administration to present a strategy for stability in Venezuela. He later added a separate comment questioning domestic priorities, writing, “I wonder if Venezuelans will get affordable healthcare before Americans do.”
US Rep. John Larson said he is joining others in calling on the president to immediately brief Congress.
“The Constitution entrusts Congress, not the President, with the power to declare war for a reason,” Larson said in a statement. “I will not stand by while this nihilist president bypasses Congress, ignores the rule of law, and commits our nation to yet another open-ended conflict without consent, or justification, or a plan.”
US Rep Rosa DeLauro, ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee, said the full consequences of this act of war may not be known for some time.
“The American people do not want to be dragged into another endless conflict distracting from the rising cost of living and the affordability crisis,” DeLauro said in a statement. “Whatever happens next, the responsibility will be squarely with President Trump and his contempt for the Constitution and for Congress.”