Senate Republicans Block Bid to Curb Trump's War Powers on Venezuela

Overview

• Senators voted 51–50 to uphold a Republican procedural move shelving a resolution that would limit new U.S. military action in Venezuela, with Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie.
• Only three Republicans sided with Democrats after an earlier procedural vote advanced the measure with five GOP supporters, as Josh Hawley and Todd Young flipped following White House outreach.
• The proposal sought to require congressional authorization for any additional operations in Venezuela, and even passage would have faced long odds against a likely presidential veto.
• The administration says the Jan. 3 capture of Nicolás Maduro was a law-enforcement action and that no U.S. ground troops are in the country, while backers of the resolution cite a large U.S. naval presence and recent interdictions as evidence of ongoing hostilities.
• Senators examined a classified legal memo justifying the operation that remains undisclosed, drawing criticism from Rand Paul over secrecy and the strength of its arguments.