On Friday, a bipartisan group of Senators initiated measures to prevent the President from “engaging in hostilities” in Venezuela, under a War Powers Resolution, following another strike off the coast of the South American nation this week.
The resolution aimed to remind Trump that only Congress possesses the “sole power to declare war,” coming after the president’s statement on Wednesday that he was considering land operations and had authorized CIA activities there.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has reacted to the U.S. presence off their shores by commencing military exercises and deploying thousands of troops near the Colombian border, starting in August, according to various reports.
Some reports suggested that more troops may have been moved on Thursday after the , though Digital was unable to independently verify this.
Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., declared in a statement Friday, “I am profoundly troubled that the Trump Administration is contemplating launching illegal military strikes inside without specific authorization from Congress. Americans are not inclined to send their sons and daughters into further wars—especially conflicts that pose a serious risk of considerable destabilization and massive new waves of migration in our hemisphere.”
Kaine, who is a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, added, “If my colleagues disagree and believe a war with Venezuela is a sound idea, they must fulfill their constitutional obligations by presenting their case to the American populace and passing an Authorization for Use of Military Force.”
Kaine’s resolution received some bipartisan backing and was joined by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who stated, “The American people do not wish to be drawn into endless war with Venezuela without public discussion or a vote.
He further added, “We should uphold what the Constitution mandates: deliberation before engaging in war.”
Although the resolution has bipartisan support, it faces a challenging path to passage through the GOP-controlled Senate, where the party currently holds 53 seats in the upper chamber.
Just last week, a similar bill, also co-sponsored by Paul and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., which sought to prohibit the use of U.S. military force in the southern Caribbean Sea without Congressional Authorization of Military Force, failed in the Senate, despite two Republicans, Paul and Alaskan Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, breaking party lines to support it.
In response to the resolution, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told Digital, “As Commander-in-Chief, the President has acted in accordance with the laws of armed conflict to safeguard our country from those attempting to bring poison to our shores.
She added, “It is disgraceful that these lawmakers would attempt to provide cover for malevolent narco-terrorists as over 100,000 Americans die from overdoses annually – President Trump is prepared to utilize every element of American power to prevent drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice.”
Democrats have contended that the administration has yet to furnish any evidence concerning the boat strikes, which it claimed were transporting members of Tren de Aragua—an organization designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization earlier this year.
Reuters reported last month that, in at least one strike off the South American nation, Venezuelan officials claimed the victims were .
Digital was unable to immediately reach the Venezuelan embassy in D.C. for comment.