The United States Senate has voted down a war powers resolution that would have required Donald Trump to give Congress advance notice before launching further military action against Venezuela. The vote failed after two Republican senators who had earlier backed the measure switched sides, citing assurances they said they had received from the Trump administration.
Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana had joined three other Republicans last week to advance the resolution alongside Democrats. Their decision to flip on Wednesday left the chamber split 50-50, with Vice-President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote to defeat it. The Republican senators Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins voted with the Democrats in favour of the resolution.
Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer condemned the outcome, saying it made the world more dangerous. "It emboldens Donald Trump to push further down this reckless path," he said. Senator Tim Kaine, a Democratic advocate of war powers legislation, said he was prepared to file "a whole lot more" measures to block unauthorised military operations. "They can run but they can't hide," he added, referring to Republicans.
The vote came after US troops captured Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro in a surprise pre-dawn raid earlier this month. Trump had put intense pressure on fellow Republicans to reject the resolution, which would have constrained his ability to act without congressional approval. Young said he had received assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that no US troops were in Venezuela, and that if major operations were contemplated, Trump would seek authorisation in advance. Hawley said he too had been persuaded after discussions with Rubio and the president.
The procedural manoeuvre that allowed Hawley and Young to change their votes was based on the argument that the resolution was irrelevant because no US troops were currently deployed in Venezuela. Rand Paul dismissed this reasoning as an "absurdity", noting that if war is only recognised after casualties, it would be too late. Senator Adam Schiff said Congress needed to reassert its authority, which he said had "atrophied" under recent administrations. Senator Jeff Merkley accused Republicans of voting for "forever wars, and against the best interests of the American people".
