- Senators vote 52-47 to advance war powers resolution.
- Republicans blocked the latest resolution by just two votes.
- Maduro’s capture raised fears of a prolonged campaign in Venezuela.
WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday introduced a resolution that would prohibit President Donald Trump from taking new military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization, a rare rebuke to the Republican leader.
The vote on a procedural measure to advance the war powers resolution was 52-47, as five of Trump’s Republicans voted with all Democrats to move forward. One Republican senator did not vote.
The vote took place days after US forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in a dramatic military raid in Caracas on Saturday. The rebuke of Trump, a day after senior Cabinet members briefed all members of Congress on his Venezuela policy, marked a shift in the 100-member Senate.
It was a significant victory for lawmakers who have been arguing that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as the Constitution provides.
However, the resolution faces major obstacles before entering into force.
Even if it passes the Senate, the resolution must also pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and win two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate to survive Trump’s expected veto.
Trump Republicans had blocked two previous attempts to advance similar resolutions in the Senate last year, when the administration increased military pressure on Venezuela with attacks on ships in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
However, the vote that blocked the latest resolution in November was only 51-49, just after Trump’s top advisers told lawmakers they did not plan to change the government or carry out attacks on Venezuelan territory.
After Maduro’s capture, some lawmakers accused the administration of misleading Congress, including Democrats publicly and some Republicans behind the scenes. Maduro’s capture and Trump’s rhetoric have also raised concerns about military action to capture Greenland, an Arctic island that is Denmark’s territory, or against Colombia, Cuba or Iran.
Thursday’s vote paved the way for debate in the Senate and a vote on final approval in the Senate next week.
Republican misgivings
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who co-sponsored the resolution, had said some of his fellow Republicans were considering supporting the measure.
“I can’t guarantee how they will vote, but at least two are thinking about it, and some of them are speaking publicly about their doubts about this,” Paul said at a news conference Wednesday with Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, another co-sponsor.
Both senators are members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
After the vote, Kaine called it a “huge victory” and told reporters, “None of us should want this president, or any president, to take our sons and daughters to war without warning, consultation, debate and a vote in Congress.”
The five Republicans who voted to move forward were Paul, Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Todd Young of Indiana. Trump’s party has a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Trump said the five “should never again be elected to office.” He said on his Truth Social website: “Republicans should be ashamed of the senators who just voted with the Democrats by trying to take away our powers to fight and defend the United States of America.”
‘Endless war’
Supporters acknowledge the hurdles the measure faces, but said many Republicans may fear a prolonged and costly government change campaign in Venezuela as the United States faces huge budget deficits.
Trump on Wednesday called for a huge increase in US military spending, from $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York highlighted months of U.S. attacks on Venezuelan ships and Trump’s statement in a New York Times interview that the United States would be involved in Venezuela for more than a year.
“The president is openly signaling a long-term military and financial commitment abroad without authorization, without a plan, another war without end,” Schumer said at a news conference.
Senators who opposed the resolution said Maduro’s takeover was a police operation, not a military action. Maduro faces trial in a US court on drug and weapons charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Opponents also said Trump has the right as commander in chief to launch limited military actions.
“The purpose of this resolution is to slap the president in the face. It won’t do anything it intends to do because it can’t stop something that isn’t happening right now,” Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican foreign relations chairman, said in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote.
