The U.S. Senate voted to advance a war powers resolution to prevent President Trump from taking further military action in Venezuela without congressional approval after a recent U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. The measure passed 52–47, with bipartisan support.
Five Republican senators joined Democrats in backing the resolution:
Rand Paul (Kentucky) — longtime opponent of unilateral executive military action and co-sponsor of the war powers resolution with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.).
Susan Collins (Maine) — known for occasional breaks with party leadership on war powers and other oversight votes.
Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — frequently votes independently from the GOP on foreign policy and oversight issues.
Todd Young (Indiana) — broke with his party on this vote; has a record of bipartisan work on war powers and foreign policy.
Josh Hawley (Missouri) — a staunch supporter of the president — also joined Democrats on the resolution in this vote.
A final vote is expected to take place next week.
Even if the Senate approves the resolution, significant obstacles remain. The measure would still need to pass the Republican-controlled House and would almost certainly face a presidential veto, meaning supporters would need a two-thirds majority in both chambers for it to take effect.
Nevertheless, the vote reflects an unusual public pushback against Trump, particularly after Senate Republicans last year declined to advance similar efforts to halt his airstrike campaign against suspected drug-smuggling vessels off Venezuela’s coast.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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Idiot Republicans.
These morons are not Republicans. They are sovereign saboteurs and capitulating cowards.