The GOP-controlled Senate delivered a rare public rebuke to President Donald Trump on Thursday, advancing a bipartisan resolution that would block him from using military force in Venezuela without congressional approval.
The vote comes less than a week after Trump stunned Congress and the nation by ordering a raid to kidnap Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. He and his wife, Cilia Flores, are now facing criminal prosecution in New York. The White House has not ruled out further actions, a prospect that has raised alarm among lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Five Senate Republicans—Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, and Todd Young of Indiana—joined all 47 Democrats in voting in favor of the resolution.
Young and Hawley were the surprise defections, siding with Paul, who has long criticized Trump’s foreign adventures. Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania also voted with his caucus, though CNN reports that he refused to explain why afterward.
Predictably, Trump reacted with fury, accusing the GOP senators of betraying national security and the Republican Party.
“Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again,” he wrote on Truth Social, claiming that they voted to “take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America.”
Before the vote, Republican leaders tried and failed to block the resolution, hoping to preserve Trump’s unilateral authority. Trump has signaled a potential second wave of attacks on Venezuela, claiming that the United States will “run” the country after last week’s raid.
Democratic Sens. Tim Kaine of Virginia—who led the resolution alongside Paul—and Adam Schiff of California and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer framed the measure as a defense of the Constitution.
“Instead of responding to Americans’ concerns about the affordability crisis, President Trump started a war with Venezuela that is profoundly disrespectful to U.S. troops, deeply unpopular, suspiciously secretive, and likely corrupt,” Kaine said. “Trump’s war is also clearly illegal because this military action was ordered without the congressional authorization the Constitution requires.”
The procedural vote sets up a full Senate vote next week, which is expected to pass. Even though the measure would still need House approval and Trump’s signature to become law, it sends a clear message: Trump can’t act entirely on his own, even in a deeply divided chamber.
“To my Senate colleagues: Enough is enough,” Kaine said. “No war without a debate and vote in Congress.”
The raid, carried out over the weekend by Delta Force commandos, killed more than 100 people and broke with decades of congressional notification norms. Lawmakers have been alarmed by Trump’s pattern of unilateral military action, which might now extend beyond Venezuela—to Cuba, Colombia, and maybe even Greenland.
Collins said that the resolution was necessary to rein in a president who has been openly contemplating “boots on the ground” in Venezuela, and Murkowski emphasized the role of Congress as laid out in Article I of the Constitution. Similarly, Paul framed it as a constitutional debate: Who has the power to commit the United States to war?
“Make no mistake: Bombing another nation’s capital and removing their president is an act of war, plain and simple,” he said.
While largely symbolic, Thursday’s vote is a rare bipartisan check on Trump, signaling that even in a polarized Senate, some lawmakers are willing to challenge his lawlessness.
Republished with permission from Daily Kos.
