U.S. Could Resume Attacks on Venezuela

Senate Rejects War Powers Resolution That Would Have Barred Trump from Using Force

The United States Senate voted on Wednesday to reject a war‑powers resolution that would have prevented White House occupant Donald Trump from ordering military force “in or against” Venezuela. The defeat marks a victory for the New York magnate’s administration, achieved thanks to a turn by two Republicans who had previously voted to advance the text in the upper chamber, prompting pressure from Washington.

Senators Josh Hawley (Missouri) and Todd Young (Indiana) were part of a group of five Republicans—joined by Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins—that on Thursday helped form a majority of 52 legislators, allowing the resolution that would have blocked Trump’s ability to act militarily in or against Venezuela to move forward for a full‑chamber vote.

Afterward, the president took to social media, declaring that the two senators “should never be elected again” and labeling their votes “stupidity.” He followed the post with calls to the lawmakers, according to multiple U.S. media outlets.

Less than a week later, Hawley and Young returned to the Republican majority’s line, casting their votes in line with the objection raised by Idaho Republican Jim Risch, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Risch argued the resolution “tries to stop something that isn’t happening,” claiming there are no U.S. forces fighting in Venezuela because the incursion to capture the country’s president, Nicolás Maduro, was “limited in scope” and “short‑lived,” as reported by The Hill.

Following the two senators’ shift, the vote on rejecting the resolution ended in a technical tie—50 in favor, 50 against—broken by the affirmative vote of Vice President J.D. Vance.

Young justified his change of stance in several social‑media posts, stating that while he is “deeply skeptical about sending U.S. troops to stabilize Venezuela” and “firmly believes any U.S. commitment in Venezuela must be debated and authorized by Congress,” he received assurances that no U.S. troops are present in the Caribbean nation.

“I have also received a commitment that, if President Trump determines that U.S. forces are needed for major military operations in Venezuela, the administration will go to Congress in advance to request authorization for the use of force,” he added, expressing satisfaction that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has agreed to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to provide an update on Venezuela.

Among the three remaining Republicans who continue to support blocking Trump’s war powers in Venezuela, Rand Paul said he spoke with the president, telling him that the debate “transcends both of them, because it’s about the Constitution.”

Lisa Murkowski also weighed in, posting on social media that despite Risch’s and Young’s arguments about the absence of U.S. troops in Venezuela, “U.S. forces and assets remain fully deployed in the region.”

“The resolution … does not pre‑judge policy outcomes nor diminish the president’s ability to respond to an attack against the United States or our Armed Forces. Instead, it reaffirms Congress’s responsibility, under Article I, to authorize hostilities and ensures that decisions of this magnitude receive proper debate and oversight,” the Alaska‑elected lawmaker wrote, positioning herself as one of the leading dissenters within the Republican bloc against several of Trump’s most prominent foreign‑policy initiatives, such as his attempt to annex Greenland to the United States.