The US Senate has dealt a significant blow to Democratic efforts to restrain President Donald Trump's military authority concerning Venezuela, voting down a war powers resolution that would have forced the administration to seek congressional approval before launching strikes.
Senate Vote Falls Short Along Party Lines
In a crucial Thursday session, the Senate blocked the Democratic-sponsored resolution by a vote of 49-51, marking the second such failure in recent months. This outcome follows a previous attempt in September that also fell short, with a 48-51 vote against restricting military action against alleged drug trafficking operations.
The latest resolution saw only two Republican senators crossing party lines to support the measure - Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski. Notably, Senators Susan Collins and Thom Tillis, who had previously expressed reservations about the strikes, ultimately voted against the resolution despite their stated concerns.
Escalating Military Campaign
The Trump administration has significantly intensified its military operations targeting drug cartels and the Venezuelan government in recent weeks. This escalation includes deploying the United States's most advanced aircraft carrier to the Caribbean region, following President Trump's announcement that the US would next target land-based objectives.
In stark comments to reporters at the White House on 23 October, President Trump stated: "I think we're just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country, OK? We're going to kill them, you know. They're going to be, like, dead."
According to sources familiar with the matter, the administration has developed multiple options for military action in Venezuela and has requested additional legal guidance from the justice department that could provide justification for striking targets beyond maritime vessels.
Constitutional Concerns and Legal Justifications
Senator Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate armed services committee, voiced serious constitutional concerns before the vote. "If the administration intends to escalate towards conflict with Venezuela, Congress has a constitutional duty to declare and authorize such action," Reed argued. "We cannot sleepwalk into another war."
The administration has maintained that the strikes don't constitute "hostilities" under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which typically limits presidential authority to conduct unilateral military operations. This interpretation has been supported by T Elliot Gaiser, head of the justice department's office of legal counsel.
Since the military campaign began with the first announced strike on 2 September, the administration has provided limited details about operations, typically disclosing only the number of casualties and claiming the targeted boats carried drugs.
Intelligence and Covert Operations
The campaign has drawn in multiple US agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency. President Trump confirmed on 15 October that he had authorized covert action by the CIA in Venezuela, with reports indicating the agency provides substantial intelligence for airstrikes.
Despite the administration's claims that targeted boats are affiliated with "designated terrorist organisations", no concrete evidence has been provided to date demonstrating that those killed in boat strikes were actually smuggling drugs to the United States.
The resolution had little practical chance of becoming law, as it would have required President Trump's signature, but the vote provided senators with an opportunity to formally register their concerns about escalating US military involvement in the region.
