THE NEW YORK TIMES: The bid comes after the Senate rejected a similar measure to curb President Trump’s attacks against alleged drug runners in the Caribbean Sea.
A bipartisan group in the Senate is planning to force a vote on legislation that would bar the United States from engaging in hostilities inside Venezuela without explicit authorization by Congress.
The measure faces long odds given the unwillingness of most Republican lawmakers to challenge President Trump, who would be all but certain to veto it. But a vote on the legislation, which is required, would put Congress on the record on whether to rein in Mr. Trump’s escalating and legally questionable military campaign against Venezuela.
Senators Tim Kaine of Virginia and Adam B. Schiff of California, both Democrats, have teamed with Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican, on the resolution, worried that the Trump administration’s order of covert C.I.A. action in Venezuela could be the first step toward an all-out war.
The measure would block the president from carrying out any military action “within or against” Venezuela unless it was “explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force” by Congress. Under the 1973 War Powers Act, aimed at limiting a president’s power to enter an armed conflict without the consent of Congress, such a resolution must be considered and voted upon under expedited procedures. » | Megan Mineiro | Reporting from the Capitol | Friday, October 17, 2025
