All three members of Vermont’s federal delegation say they oppose the military buildup in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the Vermont Air National Guard, as President Donald Trump increases pressure on Venezuela. The members of the state’s 158th Air Wing learned last weekend that they were being ordered by the Pentagon to Puerto Rico as part of Operation Southern Spear. An advance team of Guard members left last week for Roosevelt Roads Naval Station, a recently reopened airfield on the eastern edge of the American territory, Seven Days reported last Friday. The rest are expected to fly out this week. It’s still not clear how many of the South Burlington-based airwing’s 20 F-35 fighters and 1,000 Guard members will participate. But Vermont’s Congressional leaders now say that while they support the Guard, they oppose Trump taking military action against another country without Congressional approval. U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) was the first to share his concern about the mobilization. He said that he was proud of the state’s Guard and acknowledged the difficulty members have leaving families in the holiday season. “At the same time, I strongly oppose President Trump’s mobilization of the Vermont Air National Guard alongside thousands of other U.S. military units in what appears to be a relentless march to war,” the senator said in an emailed statement. “An undeclared war against the Venezuelan regime would be illegal under our Constitution. If this president — or any president — wants to start a war with Venezuela, which has not attacked us and is not a source of the fentanyl that is killing Americans, then he needs to seek authorization from Congress, as the authors of the Constitution intended.” After that story was published, Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) issued her own statement, saying the troops and their families have her “unwavering support” as they prepare for a deployment during the holidays. She was nevertheless “deeply concerned” about the Trump administration’s decision. “Any deployment must be based on lawful authority, and full transparency must be provided to Congress. While the media is reporting that VTANG will be deploying to the Caribbean to take part in Operation Southern Spear, the Vermont congressional delegation has received zero notice, information, or clarity about the location, duration, and purpose of this deployment,” Balint said. “This is not normal, nor should it be tolerated.” Any deployment of Vermont Guard members “must be rooted in a clear mission and safety,” not on “unpredictable, unilateral and unlawful directives from any president,” she added. F-35 Credit: file The U.S. military has attacked nearly two dozen boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific that the administration says were smuggling drugs into the U.S., killing more than 80 people. The ACLU has labeled the strikes a “clear violation of domestic and international law” and has sued Trump’s administration for an undisclosed Justice Department legal opinion that purports to lay out legal grounds for the attacks. “Vermonters have been clear with me: they do not support our entanglement in a war with Venezuela,” Balint said. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) followed that up Sunday with a statement of his own. “After campaigning against ‘endless wars,’ the Trump administration is threatening a military intervention in Venezuela, which may include the Vermont Air National Guard. I will do everything I can to prevent that conflict,” Sanders said. He cited numerous domestic issues that the administration should be focusing on instead of engaging in conflicts abroad: spikes in health insurance costs, access to Medicare, and the high costs of housing and childcare. “Instead of addressing the crises facing the American people, Trump is focused on engaging in an illegal armed conflict. Under our Constitution, only Congress can authorize the use of military force. We must make sure the United States does not get involved in yet another war and destabilize another region,” he said. The Vermont Democratic Party issued a statement expressing “serious concerns” about the action. “Venezuela has not attacked the United States, and no president has the authority to unilaterally launch a war,” the party wrote. “The Constitution requires explicit approval from Congress before committing our service members to conflict.” Republican Gov. Phil Scott has said little about the deployment. He’s said he has little information and referred questions to the Pentagon. Vermont’s legislative leaders have also been silent. The post Congressional Delegation Opposes VTANG’s Deployment to Caribbean appeared first on Seven Days. ...read more read less