Senator John Fetterman criticized fellow Democrats for failing to "acknowledge" that the capture of Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro was a positive development for the South American country.
In a social media publication, Fetterman recalled that "less than a year ago, President Biden upped the Maduro bounty to $25,000,000."
Less than a year ago, President Biden upped the Maduro bounty to $25,000,000.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) January 7, 2026
Removing Maduro was positive for Venezuela.
As a Democrat, I don’t understand why we can’t acknowledge a good development for Venezuelans—and how deft our military’s execution of that plan was.
"Removing Maduro was positive for Venezuela. As a Democrat, I don't understand why we can't acknowledge a good development for Venezuelans—and how deft our military's execution of that plan was," Fetterman added.
The senator is among the Democrats who have questioned the overall response of the party. Axios reported that some in the more centrist wing of the party have suggested in private that colleagues should be celebrating Maduro's capture rather than denouncing it.
Failing to support the ousting of Maduro, widely seen as a brutal dictator and labeled as a narco-terrorist by the Trump administration, could prove to be a significant political misstep, some of them told the outlet.
One swing-district House Democrat told Axios that, in the eyes of many in the party, "everything Trump touches must be bad according to the base," adding that "nuance is dead in politics."
Another House member said Democrats should not condemn the operation and wished his colleagues would take a "more measured" approach. A third centrist lawmaker described his party's response as "weak," adding, "If you don't acknowledge when there is a win for our country, then you lose all credibility."
Elsewhere, Senate Democrats are expected to force a vote this week on a war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, which would require Trump to halt military action in Venezuela absent congressional approval. Similar measures failed in both chambers late last year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said before a classified briefing from Trump officials that "no further military action should be taken in Venezuela or anywhere else without explicit congressional approval."
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