- Senators vote 52-47 to advance war powers resolution.
- Republicans blocked the latest resolution by just two votes.
- Maduro’s capture has raised fears of a prolonged campaign in Venezuela.
WASHINGTON: The US Senate on Thursday introduced a resolution barring President Donald Trump from further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization, a rare rebuke of 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 in favor of moving forward. A Republican senator did not vote.
The vote came days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military raid in Caracas on Saturday. The rebuke to 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’s a significant victory for lawmakers who argue that Congress, not the president, should have the power to send troops to war, as the Constitution provides.
However, the resolution faces many obstacles before coming into force.
Even if it passes the Senate, the resolution must also pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and garner a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate to survive Trump’s expected veto.
Trump’s Republicans blocked two previous attempts to advance similar resolutions in the Senate last year, as the administration stepped up military pressure on Venezuela with attacks on boats in the southern Caribbean and eastern Pacific.
However, the vote blocking the latest resolution in November was only 51-49, just after Trump’s top advisers told lawmakers they were not considering changing governments or carrying out strikes 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 aimed at capturing Greenland, an Arctic island that is a territory of Denmark, or against Colombia, Cuba or Iran.
Thursday’s vote cleared the way for debate in the Senate and a vote on final adoption in the Senate next week.
The reluctance of the Republicans
Sen. Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who co-sponsored the resolution, had said some of his Republican colleagues were considering supporting the measure.
“I can’t guarantee you how they’re voting, but at least two of them are considering it, and some of them are publicly expressing doubt about it,” 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 declared it a “great victory,” telling reporters: “None of us should want this president, or any president, to take our sons and daughters to war without notice, 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 holds a 53-47 majority in the Senate.
Trump said the five “should never be elected again.” He said on his Truth Social website: “Republicans should be ashamed of the senators who just voted with Democrats and are trying to strip us of our powers to fight and defend the United States of America. »
“Endless War”
Supporters of the measure acknowledge the obstacles faced, but say many Republicans may be wary of a prolonged and costly campaign to change the government in Venezuela as the United States faces huge budget deficits.
Trump on Wednesday called for a huge increase in U.S. military spending, from $1.5 trillion to $1.5 trillion.
Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York pointed to months of U.S. strikes against Venezuelan boats 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 with no end,” Schumer said at a news conference.
Senators opposed to the resolution said Maduro’s arrest was a law enforcement operation, not a military action. Maduro will be tried in a US court on drug and gun charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty.
Opponents also said Trump had 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 says it will do because it can’t stop something that’s not happening right now,” Sen. Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican foreign relations chairman, said in a speech on the Senate floor before the vote.
