A bill to prohibit the use of funds for the deployment of United States military or intelligence personnel in Venezuela for certain purposes.
SB 3595, titled the “No War with Venezuela Act of 2026,” would bar the use of federal funds to deploy U.S. military or intelligence personnel in Venezuela for several specified purposes unless Congress has expressly authorized the activity. The prohibited purposes include military operations against the Venezuelan regime or people, assistance to U.S. law enforcement operations such as arrests of indicted individuals, military occupation or governance-related activities, and security or support services for private extractive industries such as oil companies. It also contains a broader prohibition on any other activities not explicitly authorized by Congress.
The bill creates several exceptions to preserve limited U.S. activities in or related to Venezuela. These exceptions would allow defensive actions if Venezuela attacks U.S. personnel or facilities outside the United States, intelligence and counterintelligence activities, security for U.S. diplomatic personnel, efforts to secure the release of wrongfully detained U.S. nationals, intelligence work to disrupt illicit narcotics flows from Venezuela, and activities aimed at countering the influence of China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea in Venezuela and neighboring countries.
If enacted, the bill would restrict executive branch spending and operations in Venezuela by conditioning the use of federal funds on prior congressional authorization for a range of military and intelligence activities. It would not ban all U.S. engagement, but it would narrow the legal and budgetary basis for intervention, occupation, law-enforcement support, and private-sector security assistance. The measure would primarily affect the Department of Defense, intelligence agencies, and any federal operations tied to Venezuela, while preserving limited diplomatic, defensive, counter-narcotics, hostage-recovery, and counter–foreign influence activities.
No vote or committee transcript is available, so there is no recorded debate to gauge support or opposition. Based on the text alone, the bill appears designed to prevent unilateral military escalation and to require explicit congressional approval before broader action in Venezuela. The framing suggests a cautious, anti-intervention posture while still allowing narrowly tailored national security exceptions.
The main point of contention is likely to be the scope of executive authority versus congressional control over military and intelligence operations. Supporters would likely favor the bill as a restraint on unauthorized intervention, while opponents may argue it could limit flexibility to respond to threats, protect U.S. interests, or conduct covert and law-enforcement-related operations. Another likely flashpoint is the inclusion of exceptions for countering China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, which may be seen as either a necessary safeguard or an indication that the bill still permits significant covert activity.