Washington, January 9, 2026 – In a rare bipartisan rebuke to President Donald Trump, the U.S. Senate voted 52-47 on Thursday to advance a War Powers Resolution that would prohibit further military engagement in or against Venezuela without explicit congressional approval. The procedural vote sets the stage for a full Senate debate and final vote next week, where passage is anticipated on a simple majority basis.
The resolution, introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) and co-sponsored by Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), invokes the 1973 War Powers Act to assert Congress's constitutional authority over declarations of war. If enacted, it would require the president to terminate any ongoing or future hostilities involving U.S. forces in Venezuela unless authorized by Congress or in response to an imminent attack on the United States.
Five Republican senators joined all 47 Democrats in supporting the motion to discharge the resolution from committee and bring it to the floor: Rand Paul (Ky.), Susan Collins (Maine), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Todd Young (Indiana), and Josh Hawley (Missouri). This cross-party coalition underscores growing unease in Congress over the administration's unilateral actions following the January 3 military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Sen. Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Foreign Relations Committees, sharply criticized the operation in statements before and after the vote. "Instead of responding to Americans’ concerns about the affordability crisis, President Trump started a war with Venezuela that is profoundly disrespectful to U.S. troops, deeply unpopular, suspiciously secretive and likely corrupt. How is that ‘America First?’" Kaine said. He further argued that the action was "clearly illegal" without congressional authorization, adding: "To my Senate colleagues: Enough is enough. You were sent here to have courage and to stand up for your constituents. That means no war without a debate and vote in Congress."
The vote comes amid fallout from "Operation Absolute Resolve," a daring pre-dawn raid on January 3 involving elite U.S. special forces, supported by airstrikes and over 150 aircraft. Maduro and Flores were seized from a fortified compound in Caracas, flown to New York, and arraigned on long-standing federal charges of narco-terrorism, drug trafficking, and related offenses. Both pleaded not guilty, with Maduro describing his capture as a "kidnapping."
President Trump has defended the operation as a triumph against a "narco-terrorist regime" and stated that the U.S. would oversee Venezuela temporarily to ensure stability and protect American interests, including oil resources. He has not ruled out additional strikes if remaining Venezuelan officials do not cooperate.
However, the raid has sparked international condemnation, with allies and adversaries alike questioning its legality under international law. Domestic critics, including Kaine, argue it bypassed Congress, violating the Constitution's war powers clause.
Trump responded angrily to the Senate vote on Truth Social, attacking the five Republican defectors: "These RINOs should never be elected to office again. This measure greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security." White House officials dismissed the resolution as symbolic, noting that even if it passes the Senate, it faces hurdles in the Republican-controlled House and a likely presidential veto, which would require a two-thirds override in both chambers—considered unlikely.
Analysts view the vote as a significant, though potentially limited, assertion of congressional oversight in foreign policy. It marks the first major test of Republican loyalty to Trump in his second term regarding military actions in the Western Hemisphere, where the president has pursued an assertive "America First" doctrine, including threats toward other nations.
Public opinion polls cited in coverage show broad support for requiring congressional approval for further actions, with one survey indicating 69% of Americans favor such oversight.
The full Senate vote next week will force lawmakers to go on record amid heightened hemispheric tensions. Kaine and supporters frame it as essential to preventing unchecked executive war-making, while administration allies argue it undermines national security flexibility.
Even if vetoed, the resolution's advancement highlights fractures within the GOP and revives debates over the War Powers Act's effectiveness in constraining presidential military authority.
