Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer announced the Senate will vote this week on a resolution to block further U.S. military action in Venezuela unless Congress approves it. Schumer argues the administration violated the War Powers Act by not notifying Congress before recent strikes tied to an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. Senators Tim Kaine and Rand Paul are co-sponsoring the measure, which would require at least three additional Republican votes to pass the Senate.
Schumer: Senate To Vote This Week On Blocking Further U.S. Military Action In Venezuela
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the Senate to vote this week, after lawmakers return to Washington, on a resolution that would bar the president from ordering additional U.S. military actions in Venezuela.
The New York Democrat said he is co-sponsoring the measure to prevent further strikes following U.S. operations tied to an effort to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the article reports is being held in a federal prison in New York. Schumer accused the Trump administration of violating the War Powers Act by not notifying Congress before the operation.
"They did not just do ships off the water. They went inside Venezuela, bombed civilian as well as military places. And it's a violation of the law to do what they did without getting the authorization of Congress," Schumer said on ABC's "This Week."
Schumer said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) are co-sponsoring the resolution. He stressed that while this vote comes after the initial strikes, a successful resolution passed by both houses would require the president to obtain congressional authorization for any future military actions in Venezuela.
For the resolution to clear the Senate, Democrats would need at least three additional Republican votes beyond Sen. Paul — a threshold that places pressure on Republican allies who have broadly praised the administration's actions. Many Republicans, including members of the MAGA wing, have supported a reduced U.S. footprint in overseas military engagements, complicating the intra-party dynamics.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries similarly urged Congress to act, telling NBC's "Meet the Press" that lawmakers must ensure "no further military steps occur absent explicit congressional approval" when they return to Washington.
What This Vote Would Mean
If adopted by both the Senate and the House, the resolution would not retroactively reverse past operations but would limit the executive branch from undertaking new military strikes in Venezuela without express congressional authorization, reinforcing the War Powers Act framework that governs U.S. use of force abroad.
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