The U.S. Senate voted 52-47 on Thursday to advance a War Powers Resolution that would restrict President Donald Trump’s ability to conduct further military operations against Venezuela without congressional approval.
The procedural vote came just days after U.S. forces conducted a surprise nighttime raid to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who now faces federal charges including narcoterrorism conspiracy and conspiracy to import cocaine in the United States. The military operation, which Trump authorized without consulting congressional leaders, sparked concerns among lawmakers about potential escalation into another prolonged foreign conflict.
The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and co-sponsored by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, would require Trump to seek explicit authorization from Congress before carrying out additional military strikes or sustained operations against Venezuela. It does not retroactively block the raid that captured Maduro, but aims to prevent what critics fear could become a prolonged campaign to reshape the Venezuelan government and control its oil resources.
Five Republican senators joined all Democrats to advance the measure. Those Republicans were Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Todd Young of Indiana, and Josh Hawley of Missouri.
“I believe invoking the War Powers Act at this moment is necessary, given the president’s comments about the possibility of ‘boots on the ground’ and a sustained engagement ‘running’ Venezuela, with which I do not agree,” Collins said in a statement.
The War Powers Resolution, passed in 1973 over President Richard Nixon’s veto, requires presidents to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military action within 60 to 90 days absent authorization—limits that presidents of both parties have routinely stretched.
Paul, a longtime advocate for limiting presidential war powers, emphasized the constitutional stakes: “The Constitution is clear—only Congress can declare war. Our founder’s intent is not a close call open to equivocation.”
Hawley explained his vote by saying, “If the president should determine, ‘You know what? I need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela,’ I think that would require Congress to weigh in.”
Trump responded swiftly and harshly to the Republican defections, posting on Truth Social that the five senators “should never be elected to office again” and calling their votes “stupidity.” He added that the vote “greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief.”
Trump also declared the War Powers Act itself unconstitutional, claiming it “totally violates Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.” Vice President J.D. Vance separately called the War Powers Act “fundamentally fake” and unconstitutional.
The resolution now moves to a final Senate vote before potentially heading to the Republican-controlled House, where it previously faced rejection and its prospects remain uncertain. Even if it passes both chambers, Trump is expected to veto it. The Senate’s 52-47 vote fell well short of the two-thirds majority that would be needed to override a presidential veto.
