Venezuela War Powers and Trump

Secretary of State Marco Rubio told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee the Jan. raid that captured Nicolás Maduro was a law‑enforcement operation — “not a war” — insisting there are no U.S. ground troops in Venezuela, vowing the administration would seek congressional authorization for any major future military operations and warning the U.S. is prepared to use force if other methods fail; Sen. Rand Paul pressed Rubio on constitutional limits, arguing the campaign’s strikes, blockade and ouster could constitute an act of war. Congressional efforts to rein in the president faltered: the Senate used a procedural point to strip and defeat Sen. Tim Kaine’s war‑powers resolution 51–50 (Vice President J.D. Vance breaking the tie) after GOP Sens. Josh Hawley and Todd Young flipped following administration assurances, while the House also blocked a similar measure in a 215–215 vote, even as critics point to dozens of maritime strikes that have reportedly killed at least 126 people.