U.S. House of Representatives. Photo: X/ @JohnFeal1.
Meanwhile, Laura Dogu was appointed as chargé d’affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit.
On Thursday, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly rejected a Democratic-led resolution barring President Donald Trump from further using military force in Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.
Two Republicans joined all 213 Democrats in voting for the resolution, resulting in a 215-215 tie, which is enough to defeat it.
“This is crazy. We can’t be asleep at the switch — no oversight, no hearing, no votes, just blind obedience to the executive. That’s not the way this place is supposed to run,” House Rules Committee ranking member Jim McGovern, who led the resolution, said on the House floor.
Republicans dismissed the measure as unnecessary, saying the U.S. is not at war with Venezuela. The Senate earlier this month rejected a comparable war powers measure after two Republican senators reversed course under pressure from the White House.
The U.S. military launched an attack on Venezuela and kidnapped President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Flores on Jan. 3. This illegal operation left at least 100 dead, among whom where 32 Cuban officers.
On Thursday, Trump administration appointed diplomat Laura Dogu as chargé d’affaires of the Venezuela Affairs Unit, which is based at the U.S. Embassy in Colombia. This unit is responsible for managing relations with Venezuela since the suspension of embassy operations in Caracas in 2019.
Laura Dogu, who is a foreign policy advisor to Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine, has served as ambassador to Honduras and Nicaragua. She has also held diplomatic posts in Turkey, Egypt, and El Salvador.
(Telesur)
