US Senate advances measure to curb Trump's war-making powers on Venezuela
A procedural vote aimed at limiting US President Donald Trump's war-making authority in Venezuela was advanced by the Senate on Thursday, with a 52-47 vote in favour.
Five Republicans, some of whom are staunch Trump allies, joined Democrats to pass the measure, which was brought to the floor by former Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine and Libertarian Rand Paul, an anti-interventionist who typically votes alongside Republicans.
"For God's sake, let's not let Trump wage war all over the world without us," Kaine said in a video posted to his X account on Thursday.
Democrats have insisted that Trump's comments since Saturday's stunning abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro - and the killing of some 80 people in the process - suggest he is gearing up for further military action in the country.
Kaine and Paul introduced their resolution using the 1973 War Powers Act.
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It allows any senator to introduce a resolution to withdraw US armed forces from a conflict not authorised by Congress. The legislative branch, which acts as the country’s purse, is also supposed to be the one that declares war, not the executive branch.
But since the 9/11 attacks in particular, the foggy nature of the so-called "war on terror" has enabled the White House to call the shots, especially as Washington has carried out air strikes in countries from Somalia to Pakistan without an official declaration of war.
"With regard to Venezuela, my read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it. That’s why I voted yes on this morning’s Senate resolution," Republican Josh Hawley, a vocal Trump loyalist who long refused to accept that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election, wrote on X.
The president quickly fired back using a longstanding tactic against any Republicans he disapproves of: threatening to tank their future re-election.
"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," he wrote on his TruthSocial account.
"Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again."
Thursday's vote is a way to gauge how much support the resolution will have when it comes up for an official Senate vote, likely next week.
If it passes, it would then have to go to the Republican-controlled House.
A statement released by the advocacy group Demand Progress called the resolution's advancement "a rare ray of good news for the nation and our Constitution".
"The US Senate is finally listening to the American people, who overwhelmingly do not want more illegal, open-ended wars... no president has the authority to unilaterally launch hostilities anywhere in the world, whether in Venezuela or against other countries the administration has openly threatened, including Cuba, Greenland, Colombia, and Iran."
Last year, Senator Kaine's resolution to curb US strikes on fishing boats in the Caribbean failed to pass. Trump has insisted the boats were ferrying drugs.
More than 100 people have been killed in those attacks, and the White House has provided no evidence for its claims.
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