Senate votes to curb military action in Venezuela in rare Trump rebuke
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Sens. Tim Kaine and Rand Paul talk to reporters at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 7. Photo: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Senate on Thursday voted in favor of blocking President Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval after the U.S. captured the country's leader, Nicolás Maduro.
Why it matters: Enough Republicans broke with Trump to advance the war powers resolution — a rare and notable rebuke of the president — even as most of the GOP stands behind the operation in Venezuela.
- The Senate voted 52-47 in favor of the measure, led by Sens. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.).
- Five Republicans — Paul, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Todd Young of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri — joined Democrats in backing the measure.
- Senate Republicans last year rejected similar resolutions blocking Trump's campaign of airstrikes against alleged drug boats off the coast of Venezuela. More than 100 people have been killed in those strikes.
What's next: Thursday's vote was procedural but indicates there's enough support in the Senate to pass the resolution, which is expected to happen next week.
- It would then still need to be considered by the House.
- The White House has said Trump would veto the measure.
The intrigue: Trump laid into the five Republicans who backed the measure, posting on Truth Social shortly after the vote that "Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America."
- Collins, Murkowski, Paul, Hawley, and Young "should never be elected to office again," Trump added.
- Democrats view Collins, who is up for reelection in November, as their top target.
Zoom out: The operation to capture Maduro has sparked fear from both parties that the White House is considering strikes against Greenland and other Latin American countries — as the president has suggested.
- A rare bipartisan statement from Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) this week implored Trump to "respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark," which includes Greenland.
- Kaine has said that he plans to introduce war powers resolutions seeking to block any Trump military actions in Greenland, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia and elsewhere.
Yes, but: After briefings from top Trump officials on Capitol Hill this week about the Maduro raid, most Republicans seemed satisfied with the administration's justification for the operation and the U.S.' long-term plan for Venezuela.
- After a briefing for senior lawmakers earlier this week, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said: "We do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela, and we are not occupying that country."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
