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Senate Republicans narrowly defeated a Democratic war powers resolution Thursday that would have blocked President Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional approval. The procedural vote ended in a 50-50 tie, with Vice President J.D. Vance casting the deciding vote in favor of the administration.
The resolution’s defeat came after President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio personally lobbied five GOP senators who had supported advancing the measure the previous week. Two senators—Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana—switched their votes after receiving assurances from the administration.
Young explained his position change followed Rubio’s commitment that Trump would seek congressional authorization for any “major military operations in Venezuela.” Rubio also agreed to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in coming weeks to brief lawmakers on the Venezuela situation.
Three Republican senators—Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska—maintained their support for the resolution despite administration pressure. Paul, describing a “spirited conversation” with Trump, criticized the administration for refusing to acknowledge military strikes against Venezuelan drug boats and the operation capturing dictator Nicolas Maduro as acts of war.
“This is an elaborate ruse that’s being perpetrated on the American people,” Paul said, calling the shifting justifications from drugs to oil a “bait and switch.”
Following last week’s initial vote, Trump harshly criticized the five Republicans who supported limiting his authority, calling them “real losers” who “should never be elected to office again” during a Detroit economic speech Tuesday.
Senator Tim Kaine, the Virginia Democrat leading the resolution, argued the Republican supporters weren’t rebuking Trump but upholding constitutional principles requiring congressional debate before waging offensive hostilities. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned that Trump suggested U.S. forces might remain in Venezuela for years.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune dismissed the Democratic effort as “anti-Trump hysteria,” noting no troops are currently on the ground in Venezuela. He accused Democrats of hypocrisy, pointing to their support for military actions under Democratic presidents in Libya, Bosnia, Serbia, and Haiti without invoking war powers, including Biden’s 2024 Gaza pier deployment.
Senator Paul accused both parties of hypocrisy, noting Republicans supported a 2024 war powers resolution over the Gaza pier incident involving fewer forces than the Venezuela operation, which included hundreds of troops, aircraft, bombing of Caracas, Maduro’s capture, and a naval blockade with hundreds of ships.
Read more: Senate Republicans flip votes to quash Venezuela war powers resolution
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