The U.S. Senate has narrowly moved forward with a War Powers Resolution aimed at stopping further American military involvement in Venezuela, days after a U.S. operation that led to the removal of President Nicolás Maduro. The procedural motion passed 52–47 on Thursday, with a handful of Republicans siding with all Democrats.
The measure, if enacted, would force President Donald Trump to pull U.S. forces from any imminent combat role in or against Venezuela unless Congress authorises continued action. Having cleared the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, it now heads to the chamber floor for debate.
Approval in both the Senate and the House of Representatives is required before the resolution can reach the White House. Trump could reject it through a veto, which would only be overridden with a two-thirds majority in each chamber — an outcome seen as highly improbable.
Even so, the vote has been widely viewed as a strong political signal. It reflects rising concern among lawmakers over the military raid in Caracas that resulted in Maduro’s abduction, along with Trump’s renewed threats of force elsewhere in the region.
Democratic senators backed the resolution unanimously, while most Republicans opposed it. Five members of Trump’s party — Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Todd Young and Josh Hawley — crossed party lines to support advancing the measure.
Trump responded sharply, condemning the group on Truth Social and saying they should feel “ashamed” and should “never be elected again.”
Foreign policy analysts and advocacy organisations welcomed the vote as a step toward restoring legislative authority over decisions of war. Dylan Williams of the Center for International Policy described the move as a “major rebuke,” while Demand Progress policy director Cavan Kharrazian called it a rare moment of bipartisan constitutional accountability.
Similar initiatives failed last year as Republican lawmakers largely rallied behind the president. A final vote has yet to be scheduled, though it is expected next week.
The U.S. Constitution grants Congress sole authority to declare war, a power unused since World War II. The War Powers Act of 1973 was designed to limit unilateral presidential military action, permitting it mainly in cases of immediate self-defence or imminent danger.
Legal scholars argue that lawmakers have long avoided enforcing these limits. Speaking earlier to Al Jazeera, David Janovsky of the Project on Government Oversight said Trump’s actions in Venezuela represent a clear instance of executive overreach requiring congressional intervention.
Source: Aljazeera
