By Patricia Zengerle
WASHINGTON, Jan 8 (Reuters) – The U.S. Senate began voting on Thursday on a resolution that would block President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization, and backers said the measure could advance in a close vote.
Days after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a dramatic military raid in Caracas, senators will vote on the latest in a series of war powers measures introduced since the administration ramped up military pressure on the country with attacks on boats off its coast in September.
Republicans have blocked all of the measures, but the last vote was just 49-51, as two senators from Trump’s party joined Democrats in backing a resolution in November. Administration officials had told lawmakers at that time that they did not plan to change the government or conduct strikes on Venezuelan territory.
If the measure receives a simple majority in Thursday’s vote, it will move ahead. If it fails to do so, it would mark the fourth time in recent months Trump’s fellow Republicans have blocked such a resolution.
SOME REPUBLICANS CONSIDERING SUPPORT: PAUL
After Maduro’s capture, some lawmakers accused the administration of misleading Congress, including Democrats publicly and some Republicans behind the scenes. Maduro’s capture and Trump’s rhetoric have also raised concerns that he might launch military action to capture Greenland, an Arctic island that is a territory of Denmark.
“I spoke to at least two Republicans today who did not vote for this resolution previously who are thinking about it,” Senator Rand Paul, a Kentucky Republican who is co-sponsoring the resolution, told a press conference ahead of the vote.
“I can’t guarantee you how they vote, but at least two are thinking about it, and some of them are talking publicly about their misgivings over this,” Paul said, speaking beside Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, another leader of the resolution.
Both senators are members of the Foreign Relations Committee.
Paul did not identify the Republicans, although Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine said on Thursday morning she supported the resolution. Trump’s party holds a 53-47-seat majority in the Senate.
HURDLES AHEAD
Passage by the Republican-majority Senate would be a significant victory for the lawmakers who have been pushing the war powers issue. Opponents vehemently denounced the resolution, calling it a political maneuver to attack Trump, saying he is not currently engaged in a military campaign.
“The purpose of this resolution is to slap the president in the face. It will do nothing that it purports to do because it can’t stop something that isn’t going on right now,” said Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the foreign relations panel.
Even if it passes the Senate, to become law, the resolution would also have to pass the Republican-led House of Representatives and override an expected Trump veto, which would require two-thirds majorities in both chambers.
The lawmakers acknowledged the hurdles, but said some Republicans may be wary of a possible prolonged and expensive campaign of government change in Venezuela. Trump on Wednesday said on his Truth Social website that he wanted the U.S. military budget to increase to $1.5 trillion from $1 trillion.
Kaine noted that U.S. forces have been striking Venezuelan boats for months, and mentioned Trump’s statement that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela as well as the seizures of Venezuelan oil, saying: “This is not a surgical arrest operation by any stretch.”
The U.S. Constitution requires any president to obtain Congress’ approval before launching a prolonged military operation.
Senators who oppose the war powers resolution say the seizure of Maduro is a law enforcement operation, not a military action. Maduro faces trial in a U.S. court on drug and gun charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty. They also say that Trump is within his rights as commander-in-chief to launch limited military actions he feels are necessary for national security.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Don Durfee, Diane Craft, Rod Nickel)
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