U.S. Senate Republicans veto legislation to limit Trump's ability to attack Venezuela

Stephen Groves · The Associated Press

· Posted: Nov 06, 2025 7:50 PM EST | Last Updated: November 7

Senate Republicans voted to cull authorities Thursday that would person enactment a cheque connected U.S. President Donald Trump's quality to motorboat an onslaught against Venezuela, arsenic Democrats pressed Congress to instrumentality a stronger relation successful Trump's high-stakes run against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Lawmakers, including apical Republicans, person demanded that the Trump medication supply them with much accusation connected the U.S. subject strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels successful the Caribbean Sea and eastbound Pacific Ocean.

But Thursday's vote, which would fundamentally forestall an onslaught connected Venezuelan ungraded by archetypal requiring legislature authorization, showed the lengths to which GOP senators are consenting to spell to let the Trump medication to proceed its buildup of naval forces successful the region.

"President Trump has taken decisive enactment to support thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics," said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican seat of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The authorities had virtually nary accidental of being enacted, successful portion due to the fact that it would request to beryllium signed by Trump himself, but it inactive allowed Democrats to property their GOP colleagues connected Trump's threats against Venezuela. The authorities failed to beforehand 49-51.

"We should not beryllium going to warfare without a ballot of Congress. The lives of our troops are astatine stake," Sen. Tim Kaine, a Virginia Democrat who pushed the legislation, said successful a level speech.

Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., who had pushed for the legislation, speaks with reporters astir Trump's overseas argumentation intentions, with Venezuela successful particular, astatine the Capitol successful Washington Thursday up of the legislature vote. (J. Scott Applewhite/Associated Press)

U.S. naval forces are gathering an unusually ample force, including its astir precocious craft carrier, successful the Caribbean Sea, starring galore to the decision that Trump's intentions spell beyond conscionable intercepting cocaine-running boats.

"It's truly an unfastened concealed that this is overmuch much astir imaginable authorities change," said Sen. Adam Schiff, a California Democrat who pushed the resolution. "If that's wherever the medication is headed, if that's what we're risking — engagement successful a warfare — past Congress needs to beryllium heard connected this."

WATCH | Trump stands by CIA operations successful Venezuela :

Push for legislature oversight

As the Trump medication has reconfigured U.S. priorities overseas, determination has been a increasing consciousness of vexation among lawmakers, including immoderate Republicans, who are acrophobic astir caller moves by the Pentagon.

At a proceeding successful the Senate Armed Services Committee earlier Thursday, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chair, said that galore senators person "serious concerns astir the Pentagon's argumentation office" and that Congress was not being consulted connected caller actions similar putting a intermission connected Ukraine information assistance, reducing the fig of U.S. troops successful Romania and the formulation of the National Defence Strategy.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, shown arriving Wednesday astatine the U.S. Capitol to little lawmakers connected the subject strikes, is among the Trump medication officials justifying the assertive action. (AP)

GOP senators person directed their ire astatine the Department of Defence's argumentation office.

"It conscionable seems similar there's this pigpen-like messiness coming retired of the argumentation shop," said Sen. Tom Cotton, an Arkansas Republican who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, during different equipped services proceeding earlier this week.

As pushback mounts connected Capitol Hill, the Trump medication has stepped up its briefings connected the run successful the Caribbean, including sending some Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to a classified briefing Wednesday.

The officials gave details connected the quality that is utilized to people the boats and allowed senators to reappraisal the ineligible rationale for the attacks, but did not sermon whether they would motorboat an onslaught straight against Venezuela, according to lawmakers successful the meeting.

Still, Democrats, joined by Republican Sen. Rand Paul, person pushed into the unease among Republicans by forcing a ballot connected the imaginable for an onslaught connected Venezuela nether the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert legislature powerfulness implicit the declaration of war.

A erstwhile warfare powers ballot pertaining to the strikes against boats successful planetary waters failed past period 48-51, but Kaine said helium was hoping to peel disconnected much Republicans with a solution that lone pertains to attacks connected Venezuela.

Some Republicans uneasy with strikes

Republican enactment worled Thursday to guarantee the authorities failed, and galore GOP senators person expressed enactment for Trump's campaign, which has killed astatine slightest 66 radical successful 16 known strikes.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, a South Carolina Republican who is simply a Trump ally, argued successful a level code that the War Powers Act gave lawmakers excessively overmuch powerfulness implicit subject decisions and that Congress has different means to cheque the president's decisions.

"I similar the thought that our commander-in-chief is telling narco-terrorist organizations you're not lone a overseas violent organization, but erstwhile you prosecute successful threats to our state — a vessel headed to America afloat of drugs — we're going to instrumentality you out," Graham said.

Just hours earlier the vote, Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said she'd cautiously work the Trump administration's concealed ineligible sentiment connected the strikes, but had not reached a decision.

Sen. Thom Tillis, a North Carolina Republican, said helium would ballot against the resolution, but added that he's had his doubts astir the campaign.

He pointed retired that it was costly to alteration the deployment determination for an craft bearer and questioned whether those funds could beryllium amended utilized astatine the U.S.-Mexico borderline to halt fentanyl trafficking.

WATCH | Why Trump is targeting Venezuela:

Tillis said that if the run continues for respective months more, "then we person to person a existent treatment astir whether oregon not we're engaging successful immoderate benignant of hybrid war."

Still, Democrats argued that the Trump medication was utilizing a flimsy ineligible defence for an expansive subject run that is putting U.S. troops and the nation's estimation astatine risk.

Sen. Jack Reed, the apical Democrat connected the Senate Armed Services, charged that Trump is engaging successful "violence without a strategical objective" portion failing to instrumentality actions that would really code fentanyl smuggling. "You cannot weaponry your mode retired of a cause crisis," helium said.

Yet Kaine besides acknowledged that determination was besides immoderate hazard successful forcing the ballot due to the fact that it could springiness a tacit greenlight to Trump to motorboat an outright attack.

"Congress has got to conscionable basal up and beryllium counted — oregon not," helium said.