Politics
JUST IN: 5 Republicans Betray Trump On War Powers Resolution
President Donald Trump suffered a rare rebuke from his own party Thursday after a small group of Senate Republicans broke ranks to curb his use of military force in Venezuela.
The vote, led by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., advanced a resolution aimed at reasserting Congress’ war powers authority, despite most Senate Republicans backing Trump and arguing his actions were justified.
Among the GOP senators who defected were Rand Paul of Kentucky, a co-sponsor of the resolution, along with Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Todd Young of Indiana and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
The outcome also dealt an uncommon floor loss to Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., though the measure still faced another hurdle before becoming law. The Senate must take a second vote, this time requiring a 60-vote threshold to overcome a filibuster.
If enacted, Kaine’s resolution would block any additional U.S. military operations involving Venezuela unless Congress explicitly approved them. The effort was one of several moves since Trump returned to office last year by a bipartisan group seeking to claw back congressional authority over military action.
The vote remained in doubt until the final moments.
Several of the Republican defectors had been undecided following a classified briefing with administration officials on Operation Absolute Resolve, the mission to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Their concerns were not centered on the operation itself but on what could follow — particularly whether U.S. military involvement might expand.
“We were told that there are currently no boots on the ground. Is it an option? What I heard was that everything is an option,” Hawley said.
Administration officials and multiple congressional Republicans briefed on the operation argued the strikes were justified, contending the military was used in support of a law enforcement mission aimed at apprehending Maduro.
Republican leadership had been confident the bipartisan resolution would fail.
“Republicans support what the president has done,” Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso, R-Wyo., said. “It was an incredible act and the military was absolutely superb.”
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