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Progressive Caucus Deputy Chair Calls for Immediate Vote to End Trump’s Illegal War on Venezuela

January 3, 2026

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement after news that Trump launched airstrikes inside Venezuela and captured its head of state:

“Trump’s invasion of Venezuela is blatantly illegal and unconstitutional. He has no authority to deploy U.S. forces into foreign countries to bomb them, capture heads of state, and overthrow governments in regime-change wars. With today’s action, Trump is signaling a new era of open domination of the hemisphere and continued disregard for international law and sovereignty. This is not about combatting narcotrafficking. Trump is putting our servicemembers in harm’s way as he boasts about taking Venezuela’s oil and resources.

“Congress must stand up for its sole constitutional authority to authorize offensive force. We cannot allow Trump to destroy our relationships abroad and create a failed state that triggers violence, mass migration, and regional destabilization. Unless Congress reasserts its war powers, Trump could carry out new, unauthorized actions to depose Maduro’s successor, impose crippling naval blockades, hijack oil tankers, and kill more civilians in airstrikes. 

“This is why as Congress returns to session this week, we must vote on a War Powers Resolution, so that the people’s elected representatives can have an open debate and vote on the merits of a war against Venezuela—before Trump’s regime-change efforts cause further chaos and harm. I call on all House members, Democrats and Republicans alike, to stand up for the Constitution and vote to end Trump’s unauthorized aggression.”

In September, the Progressive Caucus introduced the first War Powers Resolution in Congress related to ending Trump’s illegal actions in the hemisphere, led by CPC Members Reps. Omar, García, Greg Casar (TX-35), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Joaquin Castro (TX-20). This resolution has been deemed as privileged, meaning a floor vote can occur upon Congress’s return to legislative session.

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La vicepresidenta del Caucus Progresista llama a una votación inmediata para poner fin a la guerra ilegal de Trump contra Venezuela

WASHINGTON — La vicepresidenta del Caucus Progresista del Congreso (CPC), la congresista Ilhan Omar (MN-05), emitió la siguiente declaración tras conocerse que Trump lanzó ataques aéreos dentro de Venezuela y depuso a su jefe de Estado:

“La invasión de Venezuela por parte de Trump es flagrante y manifiestamente ilegal e inconstitucional. No tiene autoridad para desplegar fuerzas estadounidenses en países extranjeros con el fin de bombardearlos, capturar jefes de Estado y derrocar gobiernos a través de guerras de cambio de régimen. Con la acción de hoy, Trump está señalando una nueva era de dominación abierta en el hemisferio y de desprecio por el derecho internacional y la soberanía. Esto no tiene nada que ver con combatir el narcotráfico. Trump está poniendo en peligro a nuestros miembros de las Fuerzas Armadas mientras se jacta de apoderarse del petróleo y los recursos de Venezuela.

“El Congreso debe defender su autoridad constitucional exclusiva para autorizar el uso de la fuerza ofensiva. No podemos permitir que Trump destruya nuestras relaciones en el exterior y cree un Estado fallido que desencadene violencia, migración masiva y desestabilización regional. A menos que el Congreso reafirme sus poderes de guerra, Trump podría llevar a cabo nuevas acciones no autorizadas para deponer a quien suceda a Maduro, imponer bloqueos navales devastadores, secuestrar barcos petroleros y matar a más civiles en ataques aéreos.

“Por eso, cuando el Congreso retome sesiones esta semana, debemos votar una Resolución de Poderes de Guerra (WPR, por sus siglas en inglés), para que los legisladores electos del pueblo puedan tener un debate abierto y votar sobre los méritos de una guerra contra Venezuela, antes de que los esfuerzos de cambio de régimen de Trump provoquen aún más caos y daño. Hago un llamado a todos los miembros de la Cámara, demócratas y republicanos por igual, a defender la Constitución y a votar para poner fin a la agresión no autorizada de Trump”.

En septiembre, el Caucus Progresista presentó la primera Resolución de Poderes de Guerra en el Congreso relacionada con poner fin a las acciones ilegales de Trump en el hemisferio, encabezada por los miembros del CPC, las y los congresistas Omar, García, Greg Casar (TX-35), Jim McGovern (MA-02) y Joaquin Castro (TX-20). Esta resolución ha sido considerada privilegiada, lo que significa que puede someterse a votación en el pleno cuando el Congreso regrese al período de sesiones legislativas.

After Close House Vote, the Progressive Caucus Vows to Continue Fight to Stop Trump’s Illegal War on Venezuela

December 17, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement following the narrow defeat of H.Con.Res. 64 to stop Trump’s illegal war against Venezuela:

“Nearly a quarter-century ago, the American people were misled by a lawless president promoting lies about weapons of mass destruction, all to invade an oil-rich country that posed no threat to us. The result was a disaster that killed thousands of American servicemembers, hundreds of thousands in Iraq, and destabilized the entire region. Trump is pursuing the same course today in Venezuela, absurdly designating fentanyl a WMD while blockading Venezuela until the country gives him ‘all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets.’ 

“Tonight’s razor-thin, 211-to-213 vote on the bipartisan War Powers Resolution to end these illegal hostilities puts Trump on notice. America has no kings, and Trump has no mandate to push his unconstitutional military campaign against Venezuela. If Trump continues to carry out oil-tanker seizures, impose a naval blockade, and put American servicemembers in harm’s way for an illegal regime-change war, he can surely expect a vote to immediately stop this disastrous conflict. The Progressive Caucus is committed to its passage.” 

In September, the Progressive Caucus introduced the first War Powers Resolution in Congress related to ending Trump’s illegal actions in the hemisphere, led by CPC Members Reps. Omar, García, Greg Casar (TX-35), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Joaquin Castro (TX-20). The bipartisan H.Con.Res.64, led by McGovern and Castro, adapted that language and secured the cosponsorship of three House Republicans, Reps. Massie (KY-04), Bacon (NE-02), and Greene (VA-14).

Progressive Caucus Slams Republican House’s Failure to Protect Americans’ Healthcare

December 17, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) issued the following statement in response to House Republicans’ failure to protect healthcare for millions of Americans:

“Today’s vote on House Republicans’ warmed-over partisan policies was a disgrace. It did nothing to protect the 22 million Americans who will see their monthly premiums double on average. Their cruelty and incompetence will make health insurance so unaffordable that millions will face no choice but to go without any coverage at all.  

“Speaker Johnson has failed the American people and members of his own conference, whose constituents are demanding the relief that every House Democrat has supported: a simple three-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits. But that vote cannot wait until January, after the credits expire, for a Democratic discharge petition to be considered. Americans will face this financial cliff in a matter of days.

“We demand that Speaker Johnson keep the House in session to schedule a vote to pass a clean, three-year extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits to provide ordinary Americans with the healthcare they need. If Johnson could move heaven and earth to deliver tax cuts to the richest and most powerful donors to Trump and the Republican Party, he can keep the House open to pass tax credits that protect millions of Americans’ healthcare and which now has support from the majority of Congress.

“The Progressive Caucus will not stop fighting for affordable healthcare, and more importantly, insurance that will move us away from a privatized for-profit system. The real solution to this crisis is a truly universal system, like Medicare for All, that provides healthcare as a human right to all Americans.”

 

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announces Official Position Opposing SPEED Act

December 16, 2025

WASHINGTON — Following a survey of its members, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced its official position to oppose the SPEED Act, legislation that undermines the National Environmental Policy Act in favor of fossil fuel industries and allows the Trump administration’s attacks on clean energy to go unaddressed. The position was adopted after a super-majority of the caucus voted to formally oppose the legislation. 

The SPEED Act weakens the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) by narrowing the definition of major federal action, expanding categorical exclusions, limiting the requirement to study long-term or cumulative impacts, reducing the scope of NEPA analysis, and limiting legal challenges by reducing the deadline for filing claims and imposing extreme restrictions on who can challenge bad projects. The bill restricts what federal agencies can consider when evaluating the environmental and public health consequences of major proposed projects, including removing agencies’ ability to incorporate new scientific analysis during reviews and limiting agencies’ environmental analysis to near-term and proximate impacts. The bill would also limit public input and legal recourse by cutting the window for filing lawsuits down from six years to an unreasonably short 150 days and prohibiting courts from challenging agency environmental findings. Environmental protection groups warn that this is a dangerous attempt to gut NEPA, the nation’s bedrock environmental law, turning it into a toothless procedural formality. 

The effect of this bill will be to prioritize oil and gas, and SPEED Act does nothing to advance permitting reforms for clean energy that progressives have long championed, which include: 

  • Investing in the No. 1 cause of project delays: staffing capacity at permitting agencies tasked with implementing NEPA protections. The Inflation Reduction Act invested $1 billion for NEPA staffing, which accelerated permitting timelines by 150%, but was gutted by Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill. 

  • Reforming the electricity transmission at a federal and interregional level to make it easier to get new electricity-generating projects, largely using renewables, to homes and businesses. Currently, thousands of clean-energy developers face backlogs in waiting to connect to the grid.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announce Taskforce on Rebuilding and Reimagining the Government

December 15, 2025

WASHINGTON —  Today, the Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman (NJ-12) announced the creation of the Caucus’s Taskforce on Rebuilding and Reimagining the Government. 

The taskforce, created in response to the harm the Trump Administration has done to the functioning and responsiveness of the federal government, will examine the recent erosion in the effectiveness of federal agencies within the Executive Branch and make legislative proposals to address the shortcomings of the federal government, restore and improve agencies’ critical roles and functioning, protect them from destructive actions by their executive leadership, and develop bold new ideas to reorient these agencies wherever appropriate to deliver more immediate, visible, and direct benefits for the American people.   

The taskforce will culminate in a report published by the end of 2026 as well as legislative proposals. 

Congresswoman Watson Coleman is an Executive Board Member of the CPC who led its Policing, Constitution, and Equality Task Force. She also Chairs the Democratic Caucus’s Taskforce on Poverty and founded and chaired the Congressional Black Caucus Taskforce on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health in 2019. 

“We’ve seen the damage one administration can do to the working of the federal government when our institutions are weak. However, a people’s lack of trust in the ability of the Federal Government to deliver for them far preceded the Trump Presidencies,” said Watson Coleman. “We have a responsibility to both strengthen our democratic institutions as well as ensure they are oriented toward serving everyday people. This is no small task, but the Progressive Caucus has some of the most brilliant, forward thinking and creative minds in Congress who I know are up to the task of rebuilding and reimagining a government that works for everyone.”

“A functioning democracy requires a government that people can trust to improve their lives,” said CPC Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05). “I am proud to join this taskforce to rebuild and reimagine a federal government centered on improving people’s daily lives. Our work must go beyond undoing damage; it must fundamentally transform how agencies operate so they serve the people instead of powerful special interests.”

The Taskforce will convene its first official meeting in early 2026.

As Trump Threatens Land Strikes on Venezuela, Progressive Caucus Urges Passage of Privileged Resolutions to Stop Illegal War

December 13, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) and CPC Whip Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) released the following statement on H.Con.Res. 61 and H.Con.Res. 64, Congressional directives to remove U.S. forces from unauthorized hostilities in the Western Hemisphere:

“As Trump once again threatens ‘land strikes on Venezuela,’ every U.S. Representative will face a simple, up-or-down choice on the House floor this week: Will you stand up for the Constitution and vote to stop Trump’s illegal warmaking or not? This is not a partisan issue: three in four Americans oppose a regime-change war to overthrow the Venezuelan government, including two-thirds of Republicans.

“The Progressive Caucus is proud to support two resolutions led by House Foreign Affairs and Rules Committee Ranking Members Meeks and McGovern to end Trump’s brutal military campaign that has killed at least 87 people and is driving us toward a catastrophic forever war in Venezuela. The resolutions are privileged under the War Powers Resolution and are available for floor action this week.

“With a floor vote imminent, both Democrats and Republicans must send a strong message to the Trump Administration: Only Congress can authorize offensive military force, not the President. Trump is deploying U.S. personnel to seize Venezuelan oil tankers in international waters. He has launched double-tap airstrikes killing capsized and defenseless individuals. Trump declared a no-fly zone on Venezuelan airspace, deployed F-18 fly-overs in the Gulf of Venezuela, and refused to rule out troop deployments, while threatening to overthrow heads of state across the region. These are illegal hostilities that could destabilize the entire region and fuel mass migration. Congress must stop this unconstitutional military campaign by passing these War Powers Resolutions.”

In September, the Progressive Caucus introduced the first War Powers Resolution in Congress related to ending Trump’s illegal actions in the hemisphere, led by CPC Members Reps. Omar, García, Greg Casar (TX-35), Jim McGovern (MA-02), and Joaquin Castro (TX-20). Reps. Meeks’ and McGovern’s resolutions address both illegal elements of the CPC’s resolution.

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Previo a las votaciones, el Caucus Progresista insta al Congreso a aprobar resoluciones privilegiadas para detener la guerra con Venezuela

WASHINGTON — La vicepresidenta del Caucus Progresista del Congreso (CPC), la Representante Ilhan Omar (MN-05), y el Representante Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), coordinador de votación del CPC, emitieron la siguiente declaración sobre la Resolución Congressional 61 y Resolución Congressional 64, Directivas del Congreso para retirar a las fuerzas estadounidenses de las hostilidades no autorizadas en el hemisferio occidental:

“Conforme Trump vuelve a amenazar con ‘ataques terrestres contra Venezuela’, cada representante estadounidense se enfrentará esta semana a una decisión crucial en la Cámara de Representantes: ¿Defenderán la Constitución y votarán para detener la guerra ilegal de Trump o no? Este no es un asunto partidista: tres de cada cuatro estadounidenses se oponen a una guerra de cambio de régimen para derrocar al gobierno venezolano, incluyendo dos tercios de los republicanos.

“El Caucus Progresista se enorgullece de apoyar dos resoluciones impulsadas por los miembros de mayor rango de los Comités de Asuntos Exteriores y de Reglamentos de la Cámara de Representantes, Meeks y McGovern, para poner fin a la brutal campaña militar de Trump, que ha causado la muerte de al menos 87 personas y nos está llevando hacia una guerra interminable y catastrófica en Venezuela. Estas resoluciones tienen prioridad en virtud de la Ley de Poderes de Guerra y están disponibles para su votación en el pleno esta semana.

“Con un voto inminente, tanto Demócratas como Republicanos envíen un mensaje contundente a la Administración Trump: Solo el Congreso puede autorizar el uso de fuerza militar ofensiva, no el presidente. Trump está desplegando personal estadounidense para incautar barcos petroleros venezolanos en aguas internacionales. Ha lanzado ataques dobles que han matado a personas indefensas en barcos volcados. Declaró una zona de exclusión aérea en el espacio aéreo venezolano, despliega aviones F-18 sobre el Golfo de Venezuela y se niega a descartar el despliegue de tropas, mientras amenaza con derrocar a jefes de estado en toda la región. Estas son hostilidades ilegales. El Congreso debe detener esta campaña militar inconstitucional aprobando ambas Resoluciones de Poderes de Guerra.”

En septiembre, el Caucus Progresista presentó la primera Resolución de Poderes de Guerra en el Congreso relacionada con las acciones ilegales de Trump en el hemisferio, liderada por los miembros del CPC Omar, García, Greg Casar (TX-35), Jim McGovern (MA-02) y Joaquín Castro (TX-20), en la que se basarán ambas votaciones.

Congressional Progressive Caucus Announces Official Position Opposing INVEST Act

December 10, 2025

WASHINGTON — Following a survey of its members, the Congressional Progressive Caucus announced its official position to oppose the INVEST Act unless three provisions that weaken financial protections for ordinary Americans (Secs. 202, 205, 206) are removed. 

Many of the titles of what became the INVEST Act were reported out of committee with unanimous or near-unanimous support, creating the potential for a package suitable to consider on the floor under suspension of the rules. However, Republicans insisted on attaching a number of particularly harmful provisions to the INVEST Act over the objections of Ranking Member Waters in an end-of-year deregulatory giveaway to Wall Street. 

Section 202 (or H.R. 1013) expands the availability of complicated and risky financial products to underregulated 403(b) retirement plans used by millions of teachers, nonprofit workers, and others. Section 205 (or H.R. 2441) changes the default delivery method for financial disclosures to electronic notification instead of paper mail, leaving many who rely on physical mail for financial information behind. Finally, Section 206 (or H.R. 3383) would open high-risk, high-fee, volatile private funds that lack regulatory guardrails to ordinary retail investors. 

With the inclusion of these three provisions, consumer advocacy groups warn that the legislation is a step in the direction of more deregulation in capital markets, particularly opaque private markets, where smaller investors are at a disadvantage compared to well-positioned insiders.

Progressive Caucus Condemns ICE Agents’ Physical Attacks on Congressmember Adelita Grijalva

December 5, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Deputy Chair Rep. Ilhan Omar (MN-05) released the following statement regarding agents of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) using physical force against Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07) when she conducted oversight into the due-process rights of her constituents affected by raids in her district: 

“I strongly condemn today’s disgusting display of violence against Congresswoman Grijalva, who was pepper-sprayed along with her staff and pushed aside by ICE agents as she asked questions about her community members being disappeared off the streets by ICE raids.

“We are in a dangerous moment for American democracy. ICE agents are continuing to act with lawlessness and impunity and are cheered on by the President of the United States. If they are allowed to intimidate, harass, and physically assault members of Congress for doing their jobs, no one is safe in this country.

“The Trump Administration is attacking the most basic liberties and freedoms Americans enjoy. Masked, armed, and often unidentified men now roam our neighborhoods, kidnap community members, and use undue force against those who might protest—including sitting lawmakers with the constitutional authority to conduct oversight into ICE’s practices. 

“We need an immediate Congressional investigation into these agents’ use of pepper spray and force against Representative Grijalva. And Congress must pass the Progressive Caucus’s legislative slate to rein in these abusive practices and restore accountability.”

Congressional Progressive Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus Members Condemn the Trump Administration’s Abusive Immigration Overreach

December 4, 2025

Washington, D.C. — On Wednesday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC) hosted a Special Order Hour on the House floor to call attention to the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration overreach and emphasize the urgent need for accountability.

Members spoke out against the administration’s latest violent enforcement actions, highlighting the human toll of aggressive ICE operations on immigrant communities nationwide. The event also highlighted CPC’s recently announced slate of immigration accountability bills aimed at combating abuses and restoring fairness in our immigration system, and showcased CHC’s ongoing work to protect immigrant families and communities.

“The Trump administration has turned immigration enforcement into a weapon of fear and it is long past time for Congress to put an end to this terror. In my own district, this administration has sent ICE to target Somalis and it is doing so with the clear intent to intimidate and destabilize our community,” said Rep. Ilhan Omar, Congressional Progressive Caucus Deputy Chair. “We cannot normalize raids, indefinite detention, and deportations without due process in place of policy. I am proud to stand with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Progressive Caucus to push for accountability and build a system that treats immigrants with dignity.”

"The violence and terror happening in our communities is not an accident, nor is it new. DHS is not rogue. From its establishment, DHS has always been empowered to violate our rights under the pretense of securing our safety. But nothing DHS is doing is making us safer. And Americans are done," said Rep. Delia Ramirez. "True security cannot be realized through oppression, dehumanization, and criminalization. As Members of Congress, we must actively build, through policies, a future grounded in our human rights and in a commitment to due process, the rule of law, and the Constitution. We must resist the fear that would tell us we must surrender our rights and forfeit our values in order to protect the little we have when we deserve so much more."

“Back in New York City, my community is being terrorized – we are hearing from folks every day. Just recently, a video surfaced from 26 Federal Plaza in New York City that showed a distraught woman violently shoved to the ground by an ICE officer as her child watched. The woman was unarmed, non-violent, and posed no threat,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. “The American people are seeing the reality of this enforcement: fear, brutality, and injustice. They will not stand for it, and neither should we.”

The Congressional Progressive Caucus remains steadfast in its commitment to defending immigrant rights and holding the administration accountable for actions that undermine justice, safety, and dignity for all communities.

The members who spoke on the House Floor included Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Rep. Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Rep. Adriano Espaillat (NY-13), Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04), Rep. Salud Carbajal (CA-24), Rep. Andrea Salinas (OR-06), Rep. Alma Adams (NC-12), Rep. Morgan McGarvey (KY-03), Rep. Maxine Dexter (OR-03), Rep. Luz Rivas (CA-29), Rep. Ayanna Pressley (CA-07), Rep. Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Rep. Jill Tokuda (HI-02), Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-52), Rep. Adelita Grijalva (AZ-07), Rep. Norma Torres (CA-35), Rep. Yassamin Ansari (AZ-03), and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (CA-34).

Progressive Caucus Denounces Trump’s Attacks on Rep. Omar

December 4, 2025

WASHINGTON — Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) Whip Rep. Jesús “Chuy” García (IL-04) released the following statement in response to Donald Trump’s recent slurs against Deputy Chair Ilhan Omar (MN-05):

“With Trump at his lowest approval rating this term—36 percent—it is clear he is resorting to increasingly desperate distractions. His repeated, bigoted attacks on Rep. Omar are nothing more than a way to divert attention from the massive failures of his presidency so far. 

“The Congressional Progressive Caucus strongly condemns Trump’s targeting of Rep. Ilhan Omar and his broadsides against the entire Somali community. It is unacceptable and un-American. Not only does Trump’s dehumanizing language put a target on her back and put her family at risk, it endangers so many across our country who share her identities and heritage. 

“We know just how dangerous this racist and inflammatory rhetoric is in an already polarized country. Trump’s repeated attacks on Rep. Omar must end. Every elected leader should condemn this vile hate speech.”

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