Jack Reed: “When you listen to our Republican colleagues, they're talking about exempting defense, they're talking about no revenue.”

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.

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.

It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense.