Jack Reed: “Taxpayers have trouble comprehending, let alone supporting, the defense budget when they hear about cost overruns.”

President Trump has been explicit about his desire to extract Venezuela's oil," Reed said in a statement.

President Trump’s effort to turn the U.S. military into an investor in Venezuelan oil is a blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars.

His administration removed Nicolás Maduro from power, threw its weight behind the unelected leadership that replaced Maduro, and is now attempting to use U.S. military assets and taxpayer-backed financing to boost a private oil venture.

While the President and his family accumulate billions of dollars through dubious deals, normal hardworking Americans are struggling just to get by.