Overview
- Senators rejected the measure 51–49, largely along party lines, with Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski joining Democrats in support.
- The resolution sought to bar use of U.S. forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela without explicit congressional authorization.
- Since Sept. 2, U.S. forces have conducted 16 strikes on alleged drug‑smuggling boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, resulting in at least 66 deaths.
- Administration officials briefed lawmakers that the strikes target designated “narcoterrorists” and do not constitute “hostilities” under the War Powers Resolution, but senators said the OLC memo they reviewed did not address strikes on Venezuelan territory.
- The U.S. has surged forces to the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, and Trump has confirmed CIA covert operations in Venezuela, while officials told Congress they are not currently planning land strikes.