Jan. 8 (UPI) — The U.S. Senate approved a war powers resolution Thursday that would limit the president’s ability to use military force unilaterally in Venezuela.
It passed 52-47.
President Donald Trump lashed out on Truth Social at the five Republicans who voted in favor of the bill.
“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. Susan Collins [R-Maine], Lisa Murkowski [R-Alaska], Rand Paul [R-Ky.], Josh Hawley R-Mo.], and Todd Young [R-Ind.] should never be elected to office again. This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief. In any event, and despite their ‘stupidity,’ the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me. Nevertheless, a more important Senate Vote will be taking place next week on this very subject,” Trump said.
Similar bills in the House and Senate previously failed twice, though narrowly.
Only Congress has the ability to declare war.
The bill is mostly symbolic, as it isn’t likely to pass the House or be signed by the president.
The state-run network in Venezuela, VTV, celebrated the Senate vote, The New York Times reported.
“Today, the Senate has clearly stated, by a majority vote: ‘No more war,'” a VTV host said. “That all hostilities and any type of attack within Venezuelan soil must cease.”
The resolution comes in the wake of the operation in Venezuela, which deposed President Nicolas Maduro on Saturday. U.S. troops captured Maduro and his wife and took them to Manhattan to face drug trafficking and weapons charges. They have pleaded not guilty.
The raid was a surprise to Congress.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., told The Times that Democrats will introduce separate resolutions for other countries — such as Greenland or Colombia — because adding them to the original bill is against Senate rules.
Kaine introduced the resolution in December. Kaine’s measure would require “the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”
“After the administration’s actions over the weekend, which resulted in several injuries to U.S. service members, … Congress needs to tell the American public where it stands,” Kaine said on the Senate floor Tuesday.
He said concerns are “about an instinctive wisdom among the American people that says war should be a last resort and it shouldn’t be entered into upon the say-so of one person,” he said.
“The world is safer because Maduro is apprehended in the hands of the U.S. justice system,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said Wednesday. “President Trump is a strong president who takes decisive action, and that sends an important message to other dangerous people, terrorists and tyrants around the world. I think that’s an important role for America to play.”
On Wednesday, Paul told reporters that Congress must assert its authority over declaring war even when an operation is successful, otherwise, the country will be “run by emergency.”
“The reason you argue on principle against even things that appear to be good … isn’t even always for the current president, it’s for the next president,” The Guardian reported he said.
Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., said he was considering introducing another resolution to the House after his was rejected last month.
“I have not seen the justification. We went from drugs to regime change to oil,” Meeks said. “I think that we need to get another war powers plan and get a vote on the floor, because this should upset not only Democrats, but Republicans also.”