Sponsors
The bill strengthens Congressional control and protects U.S. personnel by blocking offensive or occupation missions in Venezuela without authorization, at the cost of reducing executive flexibility and complicating rapid or cooperative operational responses — potentially slowing crisis action and raising costs for some U.S. firms.
U.S. service members and intelligence personnel are protected from being deployed on offensive or occupation missions in Venezuela without Congressional authorization, reducing risk of involuntary combat deployments.
Taxpayers and federal employees retain stronger congressional oversight because offensive or law-enforcement-assist operations in Venezuela require explicit authorization before being funded.
Military and federal personnel supporting defensive, narrowly defined intelligence, diplomatic security, detainee-recovery, and counter‑narcotics activities in Venezuela may continue, preserving core protections and limited mission capabilities.
Military forces, federal agencies, and taxpayers may see reduced executive flexibility and slower responses in crises because time‑consuming Congressional authorization would be required for many actions, potentially limiting the ability to counter foreign‑state influence or seize fleeting opportunities.
Law‑enforcement and military partners could face complications in cooperating with Venezuelan or third‑party operations—including hostage rescue or joint law‑enforcement actions—unless Congress acts to authorize necessary support.
U.S. extractive and other private companies operating in Venezuela could lose access to federal‑funded security support, increasing costs and operational risks for those firms (and potential indirect costs to taxpayers).
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits federal funds for most deployments of U.S. military or intelligence personnel in Venezuela without explicit Congressional authorization, while carving out narrow exceptions.
Introduced January 7, 2026 by Michael F. Bennet · Last progress January 7, 2026
Prohibits use of federal funds to deploy U.S. military or intelligence personnel in Venezuela for most operational activities unless Congress explicitly authorizes those actions. The ban covers offensive operations, helping U.S. law enforcement make arrests, military occupation or governance, and providing security or services to private extractive industries, while allowing limited exceptions for defensive protection of U.S. personnel and facilities, intelligence collection and counterintelligence, counter-narcotics and detainee recovery, diplomatic security, and narrowly tailored actions to counter specific foreign-state activities.