Sen. Tim Kaine said he will force a vote next week to block further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval in the wake of President Donald Trump’s operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Kaine, who has so far been unable to get Congress to stop Trump’s Latin American military operations, called the move to oust Maduro without congressional approval “a sickening return to a day when the United States asserted the right to dominate” the Western Hemisphere.
“My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week,” Kaine said in a statement. “We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”
Test vote
While the vote, which will occur when the Senate returns from its holiday break, comes after the fact, it would require Trump to seek congressional approval for further attacks if enacted.
The vote will also be a key test of support among Republicans for Trump’s aggressive move. While previous efforts to restrict Trump have failed for lack of GOP support, the administration’s actions could sway some Republicans who have expressed concerns about heightened tensions with Venezuela.
Kaine told reporters on a Saturday call that Republicans “cannot pretend anymore” that Trump’s rhetoric was just a “bluff” or a “negotiating tactic.”
“That makes me hope that we’ll get more votes on the resolution,” Kaine said, adding that it was time for Congress to “get its ass off the couch” on its own warmaking authority.
Administration officials may have to work to keep skeptical Republicans onside, and top Republicans say they expect to be briefed when they return to Washington.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he expects “further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy.” House Speaker Mike Johnson added that the Trump administration is working to schedule briefings for lawmakers when they return.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer spoke with Kaine on Saturday about his war powers vote and that Democrats would be trying to build public pressure on Republicans to break ranks.
“We are saying to the Republicans, this is your responsibility,” Schumer told reporters. “President Trump is a member of your party. You’ve gone along with him over and over again. This is one time you got to resist him. It’s too serious.”
Hellbound and Down 