Schneider Statement on US Capture of Nicolas Maduro

January 7, 2026 Press Release LINCOLNSHIRE, IL – Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10), a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement on the U.S. capture of Nicolas Maduro: “Nicolas Maduro has been indicted in U.S. courts for drug trafficking, stole the 2024 Venezuelan presidential election, and has denied the Venezuelan people their just democratic aspirations. He is unquestionably a bad actor who deserves to face justice. “Those facts alone, however, do not relieve President Trump of his constitutional obligations or give him blanket authority to send the U.S. military into a foreign land. “President Trump owes the American people clear and convincing evidence that Maduro and the Venezuelan regime posed an imminent threat to the United States and our citizens, and a clear legal justification for using military force without prior authorization from Congress. “The President must also present Congress with a credible strategy for what comes next. The Administration needs to explain how it intends to prevent Venezuela from further collapsing, becoming a failed state, and potentially destabilizing the entire region—posing an even greater threat to the American people and our allies.” ###