WASHINGTON – Democratic Policy and Communications Committee (DPCC) Chair David N. Cicilline (RI-01), who serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement today:

“Today, the whole world is seeing Nicolás Maduro for the thug he is. He is a dictator with no regard for his people. The President needs to work with our partners in the region on a diplomatic solution that ends this crisis.”

“To be clear, there is no good military option for the U.S. And if the President and his advisors want to go down that road, they will need to request authority from Congress. Only Congress has the power to declare war and we haven’t done that. Any rhetoric to the contrary, like Mr. Bolton’s comment today, is both dangerous and wrong.”

“‪I introduced H.R.1004 to prevent American military action in Venezuela. Congress should pass this bill before we rush into another unnecessary war.”