Washington, D.C. – December 4, 2025 – A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has introduced a new War Powers Resolution to force President Donald Trump to end what they describe as unauthorized military “hostilities” against Venezuela, warning that the rapidly expanding operation risks dragging the United States into an open-ended and unconstitutional war.
The measure, led by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and senior Democrats Chuck Schumer of New York, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Adam Schiff of California, would require the president to withdraw all U.S. forces involved in combat operations in or against Venezuela unless Congress explicitly authorizes the mission through a declaration of war or specific statutory approval. The resolution is now headed to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The move comes days after Trump declared that American troops deployed in the region would “very soon” begin ground operations inside Venezuela, escalating a campaign that has already seen more than 80 people killed in U.S. strikes on suspected drug-trafficking vessels since early September. Administration officials insist the operations are lawful counter-narcotics missions, but critics in both parties argue they are a thinly veiled effort to topple Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro without congressional consent.
Senator Paul has been the most outspoken Republican critic, calling the practice of labeling individuals “narco-terrorists” without evidence “a dangerous fantasy” that bypasses due process and shreds constitutional limits. “Branding individuals as ‘narco-terrorist’ without proof just to open the door to lethal force is not a legitimate policy,” Paul wrote on X. “It pushes America toward another unnecessary foreign war.”
Paul and the Democratic co-sponsors emphasize that Congress has never authorized military action against Venezuela and that the Constitution clearly reserves the power to declare war to the legislative branch. “Our national security decisions must be grounded in facts and governed by law, not political theatrics,” Paul said. “Anything less endangers our values and our troops.”
The military campaign began in early September with a drone strike that destroyed a Venezuelan-flagged boat in international waters and killed all 11 people aboard. Since then, U.S. forces have carried out at least 21 additional strikes across the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, sinking 22 vessels and killing at least 83 individuals. The Pentagon has released dramatic footage of the attacks but has provided no physical evidence—such as seized narcotics—to substantiate claims that the boats were carrying drugs bound for the United States.
Human rights organizations have condemned the strikes as extrajudicial killings, and reports have emerged that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth personally directed troops to show no mercy. According to sources familiar with the operation, Hegseth’s verbal order ahead of the first strike was “kill them all,” a directive that was followed even when survivors were spotted clinging to wreckage after an initial missile barrage. A second missile was fired to eliminate them.
The administration has defended the actions as necessary to combat fentanyl and cocaine trafficking, pointing to the designation of Venezuelan gangs as foreign terrorist organizations. However, Venezuela and several Latin American governments insist many of the dead were innocent fishermen or migrants, and no independent verification of drug cargoes has been presented.
The buildup of U.S. forces in the region is the largest seen in decades: an aircraft carrier strike group, F-35 squadrons, submarines, and thousands of additional troops have been repositioned from other theaters. Trump has openly confirmed CIA activities inside Venezuela and raised the bounty on Maduro to $50 million.
Previous bipartisan War Powers resolutions introduced in October and November failed to advance after narrow party-line votes, with only Paul and Senator Lisa Murkowski crossing the aisle to support them. Lawmakers hope the latest measure, filed amid growing public and international alarm over the “kill them all” directive and the lack of transparency, will finally force a full Senate debate.
A parallel resolution introduced in the House by Representatives Jim McGovern (D-MA), Thomas Massie (R-KY), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX) makes the same demand: Congress alone has the power to take the country to war.
As tensions mount and Venezuela vows “total defense” against any ground invasion, the bipartisan effort marks one of the sharpest constitutional challenges yet to President Trump’s national security decision-making in his second term.
