U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a resolution on Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, a day after administration officials told lawmakers that Washington is not currently planning strikes on Venezuelan territory,
Reuters reports.
The Senate voted 51 to 49, largely along party lines, against a measure that would have brought the war powers resolution up for a vote.
Only two of Trump's fellow Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure, in a show of the party's support for Trump's military buildup in the southern Caribbean after two months of deadly strikes against boats off Venezuela.
The Trump administration says that, since early September, U.S. forces have launched at least 16 strikes against such vessels in the Pacific and southern Caribbean, killing more than 65 people.
The prolonged campaign has heightened concern that Trump will launch an attack on Venezuela itself, which prompted the introduction of the bipartisan resolution. Its lead sponsors were Democrats Tim Kaine of Virginia and Adam Schiff of California, and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
Trump has dangled the possibility of land attacks on Venezuela for weeks, saying at one point that he had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in the country.
He later denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, even as Washington continued to build up a large military presence in the Caribbean with fighter jets, warships and thousands of troops.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth briefed congressional leaders and the Republican chairs and top Democrats on national security committees on the issue on Wednesday.
"Based on that briefing, I think the administration does not want to go to war with Venezuela," Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, told the Atlantic Council.
"But then again, President Trump is rather known for his - what would be the best way to put this - chaotic approach to things. He's one to change his mind very quickly. So who knows?"
