US Capitol building in Washington, DC. File photo.
The US Senate approved moving forward on a resolution that would prevent US President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
The motion to bring the resolution to the Senate floor received 52 votes in favor and 47 against, as at least five Republican senators joined the Democrats in the vote, as reported by NBC.
In addition to 47 Democrats, Republican Senators Rand Paul (Kentucky), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Susan Collins (Maine), Todd Young (Indiana), and Josh Hawley (Missouri) voted in favor of moving forward with the resolution.
The measure, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia to restore war powers to the US Congress, comes amid failed pleas from Republican leaders to halt it and preserve Trump’s authority over such decisions, claiming that the president’s use of the military in Venezuela was justified.
If successful, the resolution would order the withdrawal of US Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by the US Congress.
Next steps
Now, the Senate will debate the measure and vote to approve it next week, Politico explained.
However, the resolution would then have to pass the House of Representatives, where it would face a more complicated process, as Republicans have simple majority there.
Furthermore, if approved by both chambers of Congress, it would have to survive a likely presidential veto.
The only way Congress can override a presidential veto is through a veto override mechanism, which requires a two-thirds vote of the members of both the Senate and the House of Representatives in favor of the resolution, allowing it to become law without the president’s signature.
Although there are Republicans supporting the measure, reaching the two-thirds threshold is unlikely.
In any case, its approval would establish an important symbolic position in the US political debate, and it shows that a significant number of members of Congress, including some Republicans, are not in favor of Trump’s bellicose actions against Venezuela.
Last year, Republicans blocked two other previous attempts to advance similar resolutions in the Senate, Reuters reported. This happened while the Trump administration was intensifying military pressure on Venezuela, with attacks on vessels in the southern Caribbean.
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Trump’s reaction
The US president stated that the Senate resolution aimed at preventing him from undertaking new military actions against Venezuela undermines his authority as commander-in-chief of the US Armed Forces. Additionally, he criticized Republican lawmakers who voted in favor of the proposal, stressing that they should not be reelected.
More US attacks on Venezuela?
On January 3, after the first military aggression on Caracas and other Venezuelan states, which resulted in the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, by US special forces, Trump threatened a second wave of attacks.
“We are prepared to launch a second, much larger attack, if necessary,” he declared at the time.
However, he later changed his stance and said that the US would not station troops in Venezuela if the vice president of the country, Delcy Rodríguez, now acting president, did what Washington wanted.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/SC/DZ
