Rubio did not offer a clean “no,” but also sought to reassure senators that the administration isn’t currently planning military intervention there. Still, Rubio didn’t close the door on force if a new threat emerges, casting any future strike as self-defense. Rubio told Sen. Jeff Merkley the administration is “not spending money in Venezuela right now,” stressing that no U.S. taxpayer dollars would be spent there. Rubio acknowledged the administration gave no-bid licenses to two U.S. oil trading companies to move Venezuelan oil to the market quickly. Sen. Chris Coons pressed Rubio on why lawmakers were not briefed ahead of the Venezuela operation, framing it as a basic separation-of-powers issue.