A bipartisan group of senators took steps Friday to block President Donald Trump from “engaging”[ing] in hostilities” in Venezuela under a War Powers Resolution following a new attack off the coast of the South American nation this week.
The resolution appeared to remind Trump that Congress alone has the “sole power to declare war,” after the president said Wednesday he was considering land operations and had authorized CIA operations there.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has responded to US anti-drug cartel attacks off their coast by launching military exercises and deploying thousands of troops near the Colombian border for the first time since August, reports show.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during Independence Day celebrations in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
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“I am deeply troubled that the Trump administration is considering conducting illegal military strikes in Venezuela without specific authorization from Congress,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said in a statement Friday. “Americans do not want to send their sons and daughters into more wars – especially wars that pose a serious risk of significant destabilization and massive new waves of migration in our hemisphere.”
“If my colleagues disagree and think war with Venezuela is a good idea, they should meet their constitutional obligations by presenting their case to the American people and approving an authorization for the use of military force,” added Kaine, who serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) speaks during a confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on July 15, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
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Kaine’s resolution received some support across the aisle and was joined by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who said in a statement: “The American people do not want to be dragged into an endless war with Venezuela without public debate or vote.
“We must defend what the Constitution demands: deliberation before war,” he added.
Although the resolution has bipartisan support, it faces an uphill battle if it actually has to pass through the Republican Party-controlled Senate, which currently has 53 seats in the upper chamber.
Venezuelan ship believed to be linked to the Tren de Aragua drug cartel was destroyed during a US military strike on Venezuela on September 2, 2025. (@realDonaldTrump via Truth Social)
A similar bill, also co-sponsored by Paul and Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., that sought to block the use of U.S. military force in the southern Caribbean Sea without congressional authorization for military force, failed in the Senate last week, despite two Republicans, Paul and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, crossing party lines to pass it. supports.
“It is obscene that these lawmakers are trying to provide cover for evil narco-terrorists as more than 100,000 Americans die from overdoses every year. President Trump is willing to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flowing into our country and bring those responsible to justice,” she added.
Democrats have argued that the administration has not yet provided any evidence related to the boat attacks that it says carried members of Tren de Aragua — designated a foreign terrorist organization earlier this year.
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In at least one attack on the South American country, Venezuelan officials claimed the victims were not a member of the drug cartelReuters reported last month.
