Congress fails to curb Trump’s war powers against Venezuela

The bipartisan measure, which sought to make Trump’s potential military operations against Venezuela subject to congressional approval, was rejected by a vote of 49 in favor to 51 against, falling short of the simple majority needed for passage.

Republican Senators Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Rand Paul of Kentucky joined all 47 Democrats in supporting the measure.

Just hours after the vote, U.S. War Secretary Pete Hegseth announced another strike on a boat in the Caribbean. The U.S. military has reportedly carried out at least 17 such attacks, including in the eastern Pacific, resulting in the deaths of at least 69 people.

Last month, Trump declared that he would not seek congressional approval for further military operations against what he called “drug traffickers.”

Republican Senator Todd Young of Indiana — a vocal critic of presidents from both parties who conduct military actions without congressional consent — stated that his “no” vote should not be interpreted as an endorsement of the administration’s current course in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific.

Members of Congress had earlier expressed concern over the Trump administration’s failure to share intelligence related to its military operations.

In response, the administration held a closed-door briefing exclusively for Republicans, excluding Democrats — a move that sparked criticism from both sides of the aisle.

Recently, a number of Democratic senators were finally included in a classified briefing with Marco Rubio and Pete Hegseth, the Secretaries of State and War.

A similar resolution concerning U.S. strikes in the Caribbean had previously failed by a vote of 48 to 51, with Murkowski and Paul once again being the only Republicans to support it.