Senate Republicans, under intense pressure from President Trump, voted to dismiss a war powers resolution that would have limited his military actions in Venezuela. The resolution failed after two GOP senators reversed their support, demonstrating Trump's continued sway over the party.
The U.S. Senate saw a high-stakes vote where Republicans successfully dismissed a war powers resolution intended to curb President Donald Trump's authority for further military actions in Venezuela. This outcome came after intense pressure from Trump on five Republican senators who had initially supported advancing the legislation. Notably, Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana flipped their votes, securing the dismissal. Vice President JD Vance had to cast the tie-breaking vote (50-50) on the Republican motion to dismiss. The resolution's failure underscored Trump's strong command over the Republican conference, even as the razor-thin margin highlighted growing congressional concern over his aggressive foreign policy, including threats to seize Greenland. Trump publicly lambasted dissenting Republicans, calling Sen. Rand Paul a 'stone cold loser' and Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Susan Collins 'disasters' for their continued support of the resolution. Hawley and Young cited assurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio as reasons for their change of heart. They were told there would be no ground troops in Venezuela, constitutional requirements would be followed for any future deployments, and Rubio would appear at a public hearing. Additionally, a heavily redacted 22-page Justice Department memo was released, outlining the legal justification for the 'snatch-and-grab' operation against Maduro and indicating no plans for substantial military escalation. The administration's rationale for its actions in Venezuela has shifted, initially framing naval build-ups as counter-narcotics operations under the global war on terror, then describing Maduro's capture as a law enforcement extradition. Critics like Sen. Rand Paul also noted the administration's implicit consideration of Venezuela's oil reserves. The vote, though the resolution had little chance of becoming law without Trump's signature, served as a crucial test of GOP loyalty and the Senate's willingness to grant the president broad military authority.
