Rubio rules out further military action in Venezuela ... for now
In the first public hearing since the Jan. 3 capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces, Secretary of State Marco Rubio told senators Wednesday that the U.S. has no imminent plans to take further military action against the Caribbean nation.
"I can tell you right now with full certainty, we are not postured to nor do we intend or expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time," Rubio said Wednesday during a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "I think it would require the emergence of an imminent threat of the kind that we do not anticipate at this time."
But Rubio declined to rule out the future use of the military should the situation in Venezuela deteriorate.
"The president does reserve the option in self defense to eliminate that threat," Rubio said when pressed by Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy on whether the administration would use force to compel cooperation on oil sales.
The former Florida senator turned Cabinet secretary told his onetime colleagues on Capitol Hill that Venezuela is better off without Maduro, whom the administration has dubbed a narco-terrorist.
"We're not going to have this thing turn around overnight, but I think we're making good and decent progress," Rubio said. "We are certainly better off today in Venezuela than we were four weeks ago, and I think and hope and expect that we'll be better off in three months and six months and nine months than we would have been had Maduro still been there."
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, the committee's top Democrat, questioned if that operation was worth it, since the interim government now in place previously answered to the indicted Maduro.
"We've traded one dictator for another, so it's no wonder that so many of my constituents are asking why is the president spending so much time focused on Venezuela instead of the cost of living and their kitchen table economic concerns?" she asked. "From Venezuela to Europe, the United States is spending more, risking more and achieving less."
Rubio defended the administration's actions in Venezuela and said that since Maduro was captured by U.S. authorities, shadow fleet ships, primarily owned by Russia and Iran, have stopped heading towards Venezuela to collect more oil.
"I will tell you this, since the time Maduro was removed, not a single, not a single illegal ship has headed towards Venezuela," Rubio said.
"And the ones that you hear we are seizing are all the legacy ones that took off or have been seized in the past. So, we have got a really good handle on this as a result of it, and what's really changed is the dynamic that the Venezuelan interim authorities are now actually helping us identify shadow fleet ships that they want us to see and feed into this new interim mechanism," he said.
Rubio was asked about the fate of Cuba amid the U.S. ongoing presence in Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere.
Recently, President Donald Trump said "Cuba will be failing pretty soon" and is "ready to fall," citing the halt of oil and financial support from Venezuela.
Rubio explained what the U.S. is looking for "is the opportunity for a change in dynamic."
"That's a country that's been backwards," Rubio said.
Rubio acknowledged that the U.S. would love to see regime change in Cuba, but "that doesn't mean that we're going to make a change."
Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz said Rubio's recent comments that Havana should be concerned about the Maduro operation is fueling speculation that the administration "will turn its sights to Cuba next."
"Will you make a public commitment today to rule out regime change in Cuba?" Schatz asked.
"Regime change? Oh no, I think we would love to see the regime change. We would like to. That doesn't mean that we're going to make a change, but we would love to see a change," Rubio responded.
"There's no doubt about the fact that it would be a great benefit to the United States if Cuba was no longer governed by an autocratic regime," Rubio said.
Rubio noted that the U.S. embargo on Cuba can only be lifted if Cuba transitions to a democratically elected government, which is codified under the Helms-Burton Act of 1996.
"NATO needs to be reimagined"
Rubio also defended the administration amid questions from Democrats on the committee who were critical of the president's rhetoric with regards to NATO, which Rubio suggested should be "reimagined."
Shaheen asked Rubio if the U.S. still benefits from being a part of the alliance.
While Rubio commended the U.S.'s relationship with NATO, he acknowledged the administration believes that NATO allies must step up.
"NATO needs to be reimagined as well in terms of the obligations. And this is not new to this president. Multiple presidents have complained about it. I think this president just complains about it louder than other presidents," Rubio said.
"They have to be willing to step up, but they also have to be capable of stepping up. And frankly, many of them have not," Rubio said. "I do think there needs to be a rebalancing, and hopefully we'll have cooperation."
Democratic Sen. Chris Coons pointedly asked Rubio about the president's recent comments suggesting NATO allies haven't done anything for the U.S. despite losing hundreds of souls after the alliance's Article 5 was invoked for the first and only time after 9/11.
Coons implored Rubio to defend NATO in spite of the president's comments, which he said have "profoundly harmed our security, and I'm asking you to do everything you can to reinforce our commitment to NATO."
"I am worried that the very foundations of trust are being shaken," Coons said. "Our democracy depends on consultation with Congress that is truthful and timely, and the confidence of our allies depends on them knowing where we're going next. Today, an armada is steaming towards Iran. Our president is on social media threatening Iran. And I hope I can count on you, Mr. Secretary, to consult with us and inform us before our next actions, whether against Nigeria, Colombia, Cuba, Iran or anywhere else. And I hope and believe that I can count on you to reinforce the sanctity of NATO, not to reimagine it, but to reinforce it."
"It is critical that you consult with Congress for us to be safe, our allies have to trust us, and for this committee to do our work we have to trust you, let's work together to restore that," Coons said.
