U.S. Senate Votes To Curb Trump’s War Powers After Venezuela Raid

International

oi-Swastika Sruti

The
U.S.
Senate
has
taken
a
rare
stand
against
President
Donald
Trump
after
a
secret
military
raid
in
Venezuela
led
to
the
capture
of
President
Nicolás
Maduro
earlier
this
month.

The
surprise
operation,
which
reportedly
placed
American
troops
on
Venezuelan
soil
without
approval
from
Congress,
has
sparked
a
strong
political
debate
in
Washington
about
presidential
power
and
the
role
of
lawmakers
in
decisions
involving
war
and
peace.

In
a
52-47
vote,
the
Senate
advanced
a
war
powers
resolution
aimed
at
limiting
the
president’s
authority
to
use
the
U.S.
military
in
Venezuela
without
congressional
approval.

The
resolution,
introduced
by
Senator
Tim
Kaine,
calls
for
the
withdrawal
of
American
forces
from
any
combat
or
military
involvement
in
Venezuela
that
has
not
been
authorized
by
Congress.

Rare
Bipartisan
Split
in
the
Senate

The
vote
showed
an
unusual
division
within
the
Republican
Party.
Five
Republican
senators
broke
ranks
and
sided
with
Democrats
to
move
the
resolution
forward.
They
said
that
even
though
they
may
agree
with
the
broader
goal
of
promoting
democracy
in
Venezuela,
the
president
must
still
follow
the
law
and
respect
Congress’
constitutional
role
in
approving
military
actions.

This
marks
one
of
the
few
times
during
Trump’s
term
that
members
of
his
own
party
openly
opposed
his
foreign
policy
decisions.
Lawmakers
from
both
sides
said
they
were
worried
about
what
they
see
as
“executive
overreach”
–
the
growing
trend
of
presidents
making
major
military
decisions
on
their
own.

Debate
Over
Power
and
Responsibility

The
resolution
does
not
immediately
stop
U.S.
operations
in
Venezuela,
but
it
sends
a
strong
message
that
Congress
wants
to
reassert
its
authority
over
when
and
where
American
troops
are
deployed.
Several
senators
argued
that
decisions
about
war
and
the
use
of
force
should
not
be
made
by
a
single
person,
no
matter
who
holds
the
presidency.

Critics
of
the
raid
said
the
mission
to
capture
Maduro
could
set
a
dangerous
example
if
left
unchecked.
Supporters
of
the
president,
however,
defended
the
move
as
a
bold
step
to
remove
a
dictator
and
protect
American
interests
in
the
region.

Even
though
the
Senate’s
vote
is
only
the
first
step,
it
could
lead
to
bigger
political
challenges
for
Trump.
The
resolution
still
needs
to
pass
in
both
chambers
of
Congress
and
survive
a
likely
presidential
veto.
But
the
debate
itself
shows
that
many
lawmakers
including
members
of
the
president’s
own
party
believe
it
is
time
to
put
stronger
limits
on
how
far
a
president
can
go
without
Congress’
approval.