María Elvira Salazar: “I am here today because I oppose this resolution. It is fundamentally flawed. It is trying to invoke the War Powers…”

“I am here today because I oppose this resolution. It is fundamentally flawed. It is trying to invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which doesn't even apply in the case of Venezuela. The War Powers Resolution applies when there is active combat with the United States forces. It does not include law enforcement or counternarcotics operations against declared terrorists like Nicolas Maduro, who happens to be the head of a major drug cartel in the Western Hemisphere. Therefore, we do not need this resolution because what the President is doing is well within the law. The President does not need congressional approval to protect Americans from terrorist attacks. Let's see what the Constitution says. The Founding Fathers vested in Congress the power to declare war, but they were equally clear that the power to defend the homeland from foreign and domestic threats belongs to the President as Commander in Chief. Therefore, President Trump does not need congressional permission to kill terrorists at sea who are bringing cocaine and fentanyl to the streets of Miami, New York, or Chicago. Let's see what international law says. The United States is waging a noninternational armed conflict with Venezuela. What does that mean? Our issue is not with Venezuela as a country but with Nicolas Maduro, the narcotrafficker who hijacked that country after he stole the elections last year.”