On Jan. 3, 2026, the United States executed a bold operation that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife after a series of strikes in Venezuela. President Trump announced the operation publicly and made clear the aim was to remove a narco-dictator who has long threatened regional stability and funneled misery into American communities.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna told Fox News viewers bluntly what many patriots already feel: when the commander-in-chief acts to defend the homeland, Congress does not need to rubber-stamp every move during a precision operation that prevents drugs and terror from coming ashore. Her argument—grounded in a straightforward reading of executive authority in the face of imminent threats—resonates with every American tired of watching their country be soft on evil.
Predictably, the usual chorus of hand-wringers cried foul, with Democrats like Kamala Harris calling the action “unlawful and unwise.” Their reflexive outrage exposes the real divide: whether you choose to keep America safe or you prefer the comfort of legalistic paralysis while enemies plot against us. Rather than lecture, Luna and other conservatives offered a sober, country-first defense of decisive action.
The reality the left refuses to face is that this administration has spent months targeting drug networks and narco-operations that have poured deadly poison into our neighborhoods, and those strikes have had a tangible operational footprint. Independent reporting has documented multiple strikes and a spike in confrontations with traffickers in the Caribbean, underscoring why American leaders could not idly wait while poison kept flowing toward our children. Those facts matter when you weigh the cost of action against the cost of inaction.
Marco Rubio and lawmakers who back enforcing the rule of law should sleep well tonight, because showing resolve is what keeps the peace and protects families. If Democrats want to debate constitutional theory, let them; but there is no shame in real leadership that brings bad actors to justice rather than letting them fester. The voters who sent Republicans to Washington expect results, not lecturing, and this operation delivered results.
Congress should do what Luna urged: recognize the president’s responsibility to defend the nation while also doing its job to provide oversight without tying the commander’s hands in the trenches. If Republicans are serious about winning in 2026 and beyond, they will stand with those who act to secure the homeland and then codify sensible guardrails that keep America both free and safe.
