The United States Senate has taken a rare bipartisan step to check President Donald Trump’s military actions in Venezuela, advancing a war powers resolution that would bar further hostilities without explicit approval from Congress.
The Democratic-led measure passed a key procedural vote on Thursday with the support of five Republican senators, signalling growing unease over the administration’s recent escalation in Venezuela. Lawmakers said the actions, which reportedly included air and naval strikes and the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, went beyond a limited operation and amounted to an act of war.
Supporters of the resolution argued that the Constitution grants Congress, not the president, the authority to authorise military action, accusing the administration of acting without proper consultation and providing misleading briefings.
READ ALSO: Badenoch Endorses US Action Against Maduro, Highlights Moral Imperative
Republican leaders backing the president defended the move as a necessary step to protect US national security, insisting the operation was legally justified. The resolution is expected to face a difficult path in the House of Representatives and is unlikely to survive a veto by President Trump.