“The president never rules out his options as commander in chief to protect the national interest of the United States,” Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio was pressed by Democratic lawmakers over congressional war powers and whether the operation had meaningfully advanced democracy in Venezuela. “We have the right to have diplomatic relations with China, with Russia, with Iran, with Cuba, with all the peoples of the world. Venezuela is among the largest recipients of Chinese loans globally, with more than $100 billion committed over recent decades. “The people that control the guns and the institutions of government there are in the hands of this regime,” Rubio said.