Republicans Case Dixon and Gary Palmer take opposite positions on President Trump's actions in Venezuela

January 4, 2026 – Republican Congressional candidate Case Dixon is one of the very few Republicans who is criticizing President Donald J. Trump's (R) use of military force to remove the dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Dixons, who is the Republican challenger in Alabama's Sixth Congressional District, told ALPolitics.com that Trump exceeded his presidential authority.

"The executive branch cannot sidestep Congress's constitutional role in matters of war, regime change, or occupation by obtaining indictments," Dixon said.

The U.S. Department of Justice indicted Maduro back in 2020. Whether he is guilty of those drug trafficking charges or not Maduro has been a fugitive from justice since that time. Dixon said that that doesn't matter.

"Bringing criminal charges does not suspend the Constitution of the United States," Dixon claimed. "The President does not gain war powers, detention authority, or the authority to govern another country simply by filing paperwork in federal court."

Dixon claims that the President of the United States does not have the authority to order military action without first getting approval from the Congress.

"These actions require explicit congressional authorization," claimed Dixon. "Congress has a duty to assert its authority."

Case Dixon is challenging popular incumbent Representative Gary Palmer (R-Hoover) in the GOP primary on May 19.

Congressman Palmer (like most mainstream Republicans) is supportive of the President's actions in Venezuela.

"Our communities have been plagued by Venezuelan drugs for far too long," Rep. Palmer said on his X account. "I applaud President Trump and his administration for taking action to take the brutal narco-terrorist Nicolás Maduro into U.S. custody."

Palmer also thanked America's warriors who risked their lives to bring Maduro to justice.

"Thank you to the brave men and women in our Armed Forces that demonstrated the exceptional skill and strength of the U.S. military by executing this mission," Rep. Palmer said.

The U.S. Constitution explicitly states in Article II, Section 2, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution:

"The President shall be Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the Militia of the several States, when called into the actual Service of the United States."

This gives the President has civilian authority over the military and the power to direct military operations, but within the framework Congress establishes.

A long history of American Presidents have asserted that their constitutional commander in chief powers give them the ability to attack those that they determine are America's enemies as they deem necessary without asking for permission from Congress,

President Trump has been in office less than a year (this time around) and already he has sent 150 aircraft and the Delta Force into Venezuela to name Maduro and his wife, ordered the Navy to sink Venezuelan drug runner boats (killing ~100 people, bombed ISIS targets in Nigeria, bombed ISIS targets in Syria, bombed Iranian nuclear facilities, as well as bombing Houthi targets in Yemen back in April, Actually toppling a recognized government is a little unusual but the U.S. has toppled dictators and elected leaders in Syria, Iraq, Haiti, Panama, Grenada, Iran, Guatemala, South Vietnam, and sent 25,000 troops to the Dominican Republic to end a civil war – and that is just in the last 75 years. Congress has long given both Democratic and Republican Presidents wide latitude to intervene in other countries as it suits our national interest.

The Republican primary is May 19.

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