- Secretary of State Marco Rubio testifies before Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 28 January 2026 at 10 a.m. EST on Trump administration's Venezuela policy.
- Hearing follows U.S. raid capturing ex-President Nicolás Maduro for U.S. drug charges, plus strikes killing 126 on drug boats and oil tanker seizures.
- Rubio to defend actions as law enforcement aid, deny war/occupation, warn of force if interim leader Delcy Rodríguez rejects U.S. demands like oil sector access.
- Democrats' war powers resolutions failed in tied House (215-215) and Senate votes broken by VP Vance; Republicans back presidential authority.
- Rubio meets opposition figure María Corina Machado post-hearing; State Dept. plans embassy reopening amid prisoner releases and diplomatic overtures.
Washington (Washington Insider Magazine) – Secretary of State Marco Rubio is set to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on 28 January 2026 at 10 a.m. EST to outline the Trump administration's policy towards Venezuela. The hearing follows a U.S. military raid that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to face drug trafficking charges in the United States, as well as ongoing strikes on suspected drug-smuggling boats and the seizure of sanctioned oil tankers. Rubio will defend these actions, state that there is no war or U.S. occupation in Venezuela, and warn that the administration is prepared to use force if interim President Delcy Rodríguez fails to cooperate on key objectives including opening the energy sector to U.S. companies. Congressional Democrats have challenged the actions through war powers resolutions, which failed in both chambers amid Republican support for presidential authority.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who previously served as a Florida senator, will appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee chaired by James Risch (R-Idaho) to discuss U.S. policy towards Venezuela. The testimony comes amid heightened congressional scrutiny following recent Trump administration military operations in the region.
Rubio has committed to notifying Congress consistent with the War Powers Resolution should any new military operations introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities. In a letter to Chair Risch, Rubio stated:
"Should there be any new military operations that introduce U.S. Armed Forces into hostilities, they will be undertaken consistent with the Constitution of the United States, and we will transmit written notifications consistent with section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (Public Law 93-148)."
Recent Military Actions and Maduro's Capture
Early this month, U.S. forces conducted a raid that captured former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who was removed to face drug trafficking charges in the United States. The Trump administration has also continued deadly military strikes on boats suspected of smuggling drugs, with three dozen strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean killing at least 126 people since September. Additionally, the administration seized sanctioned tankers carrying Venezuelan oil.
Semafor White House Correspondent Shelby Talcott reported on details from Rubio's prepared remarks ahead of the hearing. Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) – White House Correspondent at Semafor said in X post,
“Per prepared remarks reviewed by Semafor, Sec. Rubio is expected to highlight that the US is not at war against Venezuela or occupying a country during his testimony tomorrow before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He will argue that capturing Maduro was “an operation to aide law enforcement” and that it has allowed Venezuela to begin rebuilding. Rubio will also note that administration believes interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s “own self-interest aligns with advancing our key objectives.” And: “We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail.””
Per prepared remarks reviewed by Semafor, Sec. Rubio is expected to highlight that the US is not at war against Venezuela or occupying a country during his testimony tomorrow before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
— Shelby Talcott (@ShelbyTalcott) January 27, 2026
He will argue that capturing Maduro was “an operation to…
In prepared testimony released by the State Department, Rubio will assert:
"There is no war against Venezuela, and we did not occupy a country. There are no U.S. troops on the ground. This was an operation to aid law enforcement."
He will defend these decisions as legitimate exercises of presidential power, rejecting allegations of constitutional violations.
Venezuelan acting President Delcy Rodríguez, who previously served as Maduro's vice president, has committed to establishing respectful channels of communication with the Trump administration. During televised remarks on 27 January 2026, Rodríguez stated she is working with President Trump and Secretary Rubio to set a working agenda.
Congressional Pushback and War Powers Resolutions
The House of Representatives rejected a Democratic-backed resolution that would have prevented President Trump from sending U.S. military forces to Venezuela, with a tied vote of 215-215. A similar Senate resolution also ended in a tie, resolved by Vice President JD Vance's deciding vote.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-Va.) spurred these efforts, arguing they were necessary after the Maduro raid and Trump's stated plans to control Venezuela's oil industry. Kaine has vowed to file additional war powers resolutions against Trump administration actions in Greenland, Iran and elsewhere, stating:
"I'm going to file every one I can to challenge emergencies, to challenge unlawful wars, to seek human rights reports, arms transfers if they're wrong."
Earlier this month, five Republicans joined all Senate Democrats to advance Kaine's resolution requiring congressional approval for future military action in Venezuela. Rubio and administration officials convinced Senators Todd Young (R-Ind.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) to change their votes, assuring no further military action without congressional notification. Senator Young described the effort as
"a communications exercise"
that highlighted Congress's shortcomings on war powers.
U.S. Demands on Interim Venezuelan Leadership
In his prepared remarks, Rubio will note that Rodríguez is aware of Maduro's fate and that her self-interest aligns with U.S. objectives. These include opening Venezuela's energy sector to U.S. companies, providing preferential access to production, using oil revenue to purchase American goods, and ending subsidized oil exports to Cuba.
Rubio will state:
"We are prepared to use force to ensure maximum cooperation if other methods fail. It is our hope that this will not prove necessary, but we will never shy away from our duty to the American people and our mission in this hemisphere."
President Trump has praised prisoner releases by the Rodríguez government, with 266 political prisoners freed since 8 January 2026, according to a Venezuelan human rights group.
The State Department notified Congress this week of its intent to send additional diplomatic and support personnel to Caracas to prepare for reopening the U.S. Embassy, which closed in 2019. Full normalization would require revoking U.S. recognition of the 2015-elected Venezuelan parliament as the legitimate government.
Diplomatic Engagements and Opposition Involvement
Latin America policy expert Eric Farnsworth highlighted Rubio's packed schedule on Venezuela. Eric Farnsworth (@ericfarns) – Likely a policy expert/analyst on Latin America/Venezuela said in X post,
“Busy day on Venezuela tomorrow for SecState Rubio as he testifies in the Senate at 10:00 am and then receives Maria Corina Machado at the State Department at 1:00 pm. Excellent chance to clarify the timeline for democratic transition. What would you like to see the headlines be?”
Busy day on Venezuela tomorrow for SecState Rubio as he testifies in the Senate at 10:00 am and then receives Maria Corina Machado at the State Department at 1:00 pm. Excellent chance to clarify the timeline for democratic transition. What would you like to see the headlines be?
— Eric Farnsworth (@ericfarns) January 28, 2026
Rubio is scheduled to meet Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado at the State Department at 1:00 p.m. on 28 January 2026. Machado, who went into hiding after the disputed 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, reemerged in December 2025 to receive her Nobel Peace Prize in Norway and met President Trump in Washington, presenting him with her medal.
The administration maintains there is no U.S. occupation and no troops on the ground in Venezuela, despite a large military buildup in the region. Congressional Democrats have condemned the moves as exceeding executive authority, while most Republicans support them.
Legal challenges have emerged, including a wrongful death lawsuit filed by families of two Trinidadian nationals killed in a Trump administration boat strike.
Rubio's Dual Roles and Broader Foreign Policy Context
Rubio holds the roles of Secretary of State and a position making him the first person to do so simultaneously since Henry Kissinger in the 1970s. His appearances on Capitol Hill have become frequent amid the administration's foreign policy activities in the Western Hemisphere, Europe and the Middle East.
The hearing occurs amid domestic unrest, including a fatal shooting in Minnesota during a Department of Homeland Security immigration operation, though Rubio will not address it directly. Senate attention has shifted in recent days due to these events.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee announced the hearing titled "U.S. Policy Towards Venezuela," with Rubio as the witness. The State Department's public schedule confirms the 10:00 a.m. appearance on Capitol Hill.
President Trump has stated plans to control Venezuela's oil industry for years, contributing to the contentious congressional debates.