Overview
- The resolution was blocked 51–49, with Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats while Susan Collins and Thom Tillis voted with their party.
- President Trump has said he will not seek congressional authorization and vowed to target people bringing drugs into the United States.
- U.S. forces have struck boats off Venezuela since early September and into the eastern Pacific, with at least 67 people killed according to U.S. figures.
- The Pentagon has moved warships and aircraft toward the region, including the carrier Gerald R. Ford, as DHS Secretary Kristi Noem toured an Ecuador military site described as a potential facility.
- Human-rights and legal critics question the evidence and legality of the boat strikes, and U.S. outlets report unconfirmed planning for CIA covert operations in Venezuela and potential drone strikes on Mexican cartels.