A week after the Senate rejected President Trump’s military intervention in Venezuela, the future of a rare war powers resolution remains uncertain, with a few Republicans under pressure to reconsider. On Wednesday, Senators will decide the fate of the resolution that aims to limit Trump’s authority to deploy military force in Venezuela without Congressional approval.
During the initial Senate vote on Jan. 8, the resolution passed 52-47, with five Republicans joining all Senate Democrats, signaling a strong opposition to Trump’s actions. In response, Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have been lobbying Republican Senators to withdraw their support for the resolution ahead of the final vote.
As of late Tuesday, there were doubts about the Senate’s commitment to the resolution. Even if it passes, the resolution would still need approval from the Republican-controlled House and President Trump to become law. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine led the charge on the resolution following Trump’s announcement of a military raid in Venezuela on Jan. 3.
Five Republicans who supported moving the resolution forward – Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young – expressed concerns about potential escalation in Venezuela under Trump’s leadership. Trump responded strongly, criticizing the Senators on social media, but some Senators like Collins remained unwavering in their support for the resolution.
Republican leaders argued against the necessity of the resolution, citing that the Venezuela raid was a one-time event and no ongoing military action was planned. Senators like James Lankford shared the view that demanding war powers without active hostilities with Venezuela may not be appropriate.
Despite pushback from Trump, some Senators maintained their stance on the war powers resolution. Tom Tillis, for example, stated he would not support the resolution as long as there were no U.S. troops engaged in combat in Venezuela.
Senator Schiff highlighted that Trump’s actions and statements about Venezuela could fuel further support for the resolution, as concerns persist in the Senate about the potential for long-term unilateral commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela.
