Jack Reed: “So the public interest aspects of the test sort of go by the wayside, and the concentration is on simply the safety and…”

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.

When President Trump cuts military exercises to flatter a dictator or punishes South Korea for declining to join a war he started, all of our allies – and adversaries – think that America’s commitments are negotiable.

Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved. Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.