Russell Berman and Elaine Godfrey: “Representative Seth Moulton is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, but he learned about the U.S. military’s middle-of-the-night capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro the same way many Americans did: A friend who saw the news on the internet texted him.
“‘That is not the way Congress is supposed to be notified of operations by the Department of Defense,” Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, told us wryly. Still, Moulton was surprised neither by the Trump administration’s decision to attack Venezuela nor by the fact that it declined to give Congress a heads-up about the mission, much less seek its approval. A Marine who served four tours of duty in Iraq, Moulton had watched for months as the military stationed warships off Venezuela’s coast, and he gave little credence to the insistence of senior administration officials, in classified briefings to lawmakers, that they were not planning to take out Maduro. ‘I know what it means to be a Marine, sitting on a ship off the coast, and you’re not there to interdict boats or conduct a naval blockade,’ he said. ‘Those are ground troops. And so it was no mystery to me why they were there.’
“The president and his aides can lie to Congress with impunity, he argued, because the Republicans who run the House and Senate have shown they will do nothing about it. ‘This is the weakest Congress in American history,; Moulton said, accusing Republican leaders of making a co-equal branch of the federal government ‘essentially fade away.’
“Moulton is running for a Senate seat, giving him even more reason than usual to criticize the GOP. But his views about Congress’s self-diminishment are widely shared inside and outside the Capitol, and the facts are hard to dispute. In the first weeks after Donald Trump returned to the White House, top Republicans offered no protest as his administration flouted their constitutional authority over spending, shutting down agencies that Congress had authorized and funded. Now the same leaders are handing over Congress’s power to authorize war-making without a fight. They’ve hardly made a peep over a military attack in which the administration cut out even the senior-most lawmakers, who are customarily informed about major operations.”
It’s a republican congress, republican senate, republican SCOTUS, republican president
Man…I still see people today in this sub being like “yeaaaah but not really sold on democrats”
Retaining-Wall on
Congress is more of a power bottom these days.
susibirb on
I called my representative today and asked the gal on the phone that question.
OkayButFoRealz on
GOP has abdicated everything to Trump. We have taxation and no representation. Trump’s regime has become the very Deep State swamp the MAGAts harped about.
He really can do anything because the GOP congress just lets him, and the Supreme Court courtesy of the shadow docket nearly always sides with him.
Mikethebest78 on
Sure it does…to enrich members of the ruling party and to give Mr. Trump’s policies the illusion of legitimacy.
micro___penis on
I studied history and geopolitics at Berkeley:
Trump already burned his Reichstag down by enabling Mike Johnson to let the powers of congress desiccate before our eyes.
If you don’t know what that means — Hitler dismantled Germany’s legislature before invading countries like Czechoslovakia/Venezuela and Poland/Greenland.
Avoidtolls on
Citizens United has successfully disemboweled our once great democracy. We are now a dictatorship.
Korgoth420 on
What about the Supreme Court? Feeling pretty worthless these days, too.
Bromance_Rayder on
After the 100th person points out that my home is on fire, do I really need a 101st? No, I need someone to grab a fucking hose.
Vegetable-Seaweed591 on
Congress wasn’t notified but Trump has stated he talked to oil executives ‘BEFORE and after the operation’ to prepare them to move into Venezuela. Yup, he told oil execs about the operation before it happened.
B-Z_B-S on
In theory, yes.
JuicyTalleywhacker on
I wish the congress and house was entirely replaced with people under 40 and stock trading by politicians was illegal.
*blinks*
🙁
GRRA-1 on
They exist as much as the Russian Duma or China’s National People’s Congress exist.
RamblingReddit on
“I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything about that” -mike johnson
Jedigreedo on
The Republicans have completely forfeited their relevancy to give Johnson all their power, who obviously is a completely shameless Yes Man to Trump.
The Democrats are useless as they’re divided between dinosaurs who still think this is a game that’ll swing back for their turn, Israel-controlled centrists, and a handful of progressives that are continually stifled by the others.
All_Hail_Hynotoad on
No. No, it does not.
strolpol on
The Republican Party is the single greatest threat America has ever faced
localhorizon on
Reminder that the GOP holds the majority in both houses.
The pressure point is not the Dems this time, but the Republicans who may be able to make the calculation that they won’t get votes back in if they keep fucking around.
This means relentlessly calling, emailing, mailing, and picketing at local Republican offices.
AbrumVonAbrak on
Functionally? No.
AnamCeili on
No.
MichaelBayShortStory on
I’m pretty sure the current majority is okay with folding Congress as we know it. They voted not to curtail Trump’s Venezula invasion capabilities. Currently it’s another of a long list of hollowed out institutions by the Heritage foundation and Project 2025
EnvironmentalSong393 on
No.
StandardDiver2791 on
It’s a(n empty) shell of its’ former self.
Timeformayo on
Not when the GOP controls it. They have given away power to their dementia-addled Caesar.
Street-Hovercraft599 on
They act as a rubber stamp similar to the Russian Duma and Federation Council.
TheGOPisTheDeepState on
Republicans have checked out Congress for it least 3+ decades. They are the swamp, deep state and enemy from within.
Gerald_the_sealion on
No. My senator and Rep both don’t respond to calls or emails. Brian Fitzpatrick, you’re a cuck. Fetterman, go to hell
tapwater86 on
For purposes of collecting a paycheck and reviewing information to help guide their insider trading?
Yes
For everything else?
No
muchbro on
I’m honestly more mad at congress than I am Trump at this point.
We all know Trump is a deranged lunatic. Where tf is Congress? Do your job. Or anything at all really.
brianinohio on
Republicans in Congress are afraid of getting “primaried” by Trump. They care more about their job than the country. They are all traitors.
Malfeitor1 on
No…do I win?
Skate_faced on
The World: Dudes, fucking do something!?!?!! Actual fucking government sponsored nazis are killing people.
GOP: LOL nope!
Depressed-Industry on
Mike Johnson is actively helping to destroy the country.
TRtheCat on
In name only.
jewthe3rd on
vote and get others to vote
and yes it still fucking matters
38 Comments
Russell Berman and Elaine Godfrey: “Representative Seth Moulton is a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, but he learned about the U.S. military’s middle-of-the-night capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro the same way many Americans did: A friend who saw the news on the internet texted him.
“‘That is not the way Congress is supposed to be notified of operations by the Department of Defense,” Moulton, a Democrat from Massachusetts, told us wryly. Still, Moulton was surprised neither by the Trump administration’s decision to attack Venezuela nor by the fact that it declined to give Congress a heads-up about the mission, much less seek its approval. A Marine who served four tours of duty in Iraq, Moulton had watched for months as the military stationed warships off Venezuela’s coast, and he gave little credence to the insistence of senior administration officials, in classified briefings to lawmakers, that they were not planning to take out Maduro. ‘I know what it means to be a Marine, sitting on a ship off the coast, and you’re not there to interdict boats or conduct a naval blockade,’ he said. ‘Those are ground troops. And so it was no mystery to me why they were there.’
“The president and his aides can lie to Congress with impunity, he argued, because the Republicans who run the House and Senate have shown they will do nothing about it. ‘This is the weakest Congress in American history,; Moulton said, accusing Republican leaders of making a co-equal branch of the federal government ‘essentially fade away.’
“Moulton is running for a Senate seat, giving him even more reason than usual to criticize the GOP. But his views about Congress’s self-diminishment are widely shared inside and outside the Capitol, and the facts are hard to dispute. In the first weeks after Donald Trump returned to the White House, top Republicans offered no protest as his administration flouted their constitutional authority over spending, shutting down agencies that Congress had authorized and funded. Now the same leaders are handing over Congress’s power to authorize war-making without a fight. They’ve hardly made a peep over a military attack in which the administration cut out even the senior-most lawmakers, who are customarily informed about major operations.”
Read more: [https://theatln.tc/HIqHoLDP](https://theatln.tc/HIqHoLDP)
It only exists to facilitate insider trading.
It’s a republican congress, republican senate, republican SCOTUS, republican president
Man…I still see people today in this sub being like “yeaaaah but not really sold on democrats”
Congress is more of a power bottom these days.
I called my representative today and asked the gal on the phone that question.
GOP has abdicated everything to Trump. We have taxation and no representation. Trump’s regime has become the very Deep State swamp the MAGAts harped about.
He really can do anything because the GOP congress just lets him, and the Supreme Court courtesy of the shadow docket nearly always sides with him.
Sure it does…to enrich members of the ruling party and to give Mr. Trump’s policies the illusion of legitimacy.
I studied history and geopolitics at Berkeley:
Trump already burned his Reichstag down by enabling Mike Johnson to let the powers of congress desiccate before our eyes.
If you don’t know what that means — Hitler dismantled Germany’s legislature before invading countries like Czechoslovakia/Venezuela and Poland/Greenland.
Citizens United has successfully disemboweled our once great democracy. We are now a dictatorship.
What about the Supreme Court? Feeling pretty worthless these days, too.
After the 100th person points out that my home is on fire, do I really need a 101st? No, I need someone to grab a fucking hose.
Congress wasn’t notified but Trump has stated he talked to oil executives ‘BEFORE and after the operation’ to prepare them to move into Venezuela. Yup, he told oil execs about the operation before it happened.
In theory, yes.
I wish the congress and house was entirely replaced with people under 40 and stock trading by politicians was illegal.
*blinks*
🙁
They exist as much as the Russian Duma or China’s National People’s Congress exist.
“I don’t know, I haven’t heard anything about that” -mike johnson
The Republicans have completely forfeited their relevancy to give Johnson all their power, who obviously is a completely shameless Yes Man to Trump.
The Democrats are useless as they’re divided between dinosaurs who still think this is a game that’ll swing back for their turn, Israel-controlled centrists, and a handful of progressives that are continually stifled by the others.
No. No, it does not.
The Republican Party is the single greatest threat America has ever faced
Reminder that the GOP holds the majority in both houses.
The pressure point is not the Dems this time, but the Republicans who may be able to make the calculation that they won’t get votes back in if they keep fucking around.
This means relentlessly calling, emailing, mailing, and picketing at local Republican offices.
Functionally? No.
No.
I’m pretty sure the current majority is okay with folding Congress as we know it. They voted not to curtail Trump’s Venezula invasion capabilities. Currently it’s another of a long list of hollowed out institutions by the Heritage foundation and Project 2025
No.
It’s a(n empty) shell of its’ former self.
Not when the GOP controls it. They have given away power to their dementia-addled Caesar.
They act as a rubber stamp similar to the Russian Duma and Federation Council.
Republicans have checked out Congress for it least 3+ decades. They are the swamp, deep state and enemy from within.
No. My senator and Rep both don’t respond to calls or emails. Brian Fitzpatrick, you’re a cuck. Fetterman, go to hell
For purposes of collecting a paycheck and reviewing information to help guide their insider trading?
Yes
For everything else?
No
I’m honestly more mad at congress than I am Trump at this point.
We all know Trump is a deranged lunatic. Where tf is Congress? Do your job. Or anything at all really.
Republicans in Congress are afraid of getting “primaried” by Trump. They care more about their job than the country. They are all traitors.
No…do I win?
The World: Dudes, fucking do something!?!?!! Actual fucking government sponsored nazis are killing people.
GOP: LOL nope!
Mike Johnson is actively helping to destroy the country.
In name only.
vote and get others to vote
and yes it still fucking matters
No