An Open Letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

Senator Schumer,

Your statement following President Trump’s military actions against Venezuela is not merely inadequate; it is evidence of dereliction of duty.

You openly allege that the President launched military action without congressional authorization. You assert that his administration misled Congress. You warn that this could plunge the United States into another endless war. Those are not rhetorical complaints. Those are allegations of grave constitutional violations.

And yet, once again, you choose to respond with words instead of action.

That is not leadership. That is abandonment of your oath.

If a President initiates military action without authorization, lies to Congress about intent, and disregards the War Powers Resolution, Congress is not supposed to issue press statements and “seek clarification.” Congress is supposed to act. The fact that you acknowledge these violations while refusing to use the powers at your disposal makes you complicit in their continuation.

This is not a failure of messaging. It is a failure of will.

You are the Senate Majority Leader. You control the calendar. You have subpoena power. You can force hearings, votes, and accountability. You can invoke the War Powers Resolution. You can compel testimony under oath. You can initiate impeachment proceedings if the executive branch has willfully violated the Constitution.

Instead, you issue warnings and hope the public mistakes them for consequences.

That is dereliction of duty.

You claim Americans should fear the idea of Trump “running” Venezuela. What Americans should fear even more is a Congress that recognizes constitutional violations and chooses to do nothing about them. History does not repeat itself because citizens fail to notice danger, it repeats itself because leaders refuse to confront it.

By your own words, the President has:

• Acted without congressional authorization

• Misled Congress about military intent

• Risked international escalation without oversight

If those actions do not meet the threshold for impeachment inquiries or emergency congressional intervention, then the Constitution has effectively become optional and Congress has surrendered its authority voluntarily.

You cannot warn of catastrophe while refusing to pull the emergency brake.

At this point, continued inaction is not neutrality. It is enabling. It signals to this President, and every future one, that Congress will tolerate constitutional violations as long as leaders can issue a sternly worded statement afterward.

Enough.

The American people do not need another press release. They need a Senate Majority Leader willing to exercise power, not just comment on its abuse.

Do your job.

Assert Congress’s authority.

Invoke the War Powers Resolution.

Force votes.

Open impeachment inquiries where warranted.

Impose consequences.

If you are unwilling to act when the Constitution is openly disregarded, then you are not leading, you are managing decline.

The stakes demand more than words. They demand action.

Patrick Mattix Machado