{"id":312083,"date":"2026-01-19T12:01:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T12:01:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=312083"},"modified":"2026-01-17T07:16:56","modified_gmt":"2026-01-17T07:16:56","slug":"u-s-senate-blocks-bid-to-limit-trumps-military-powers-against-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2026\/01\/u-s-senate-blocks-bid-to-limit-trumps-military-powers-against-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Senate Blocks Bid to Limit Trump\u2019s Military Powers against Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"<blockquote><p><em>A narrowly divided US Senate rejected a War Powers resolution that would have constrained President Donald Trump\u2019s authority to launch new military actions in Venezuela, with Vice President JD Vance casting a decisive tie-breaking vote.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><em>15 Jan 2026\u00a0<\/em>&#8211;\u00a0The U.S. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_votes\/vote1192\/vote_119_2_00009.htm\"  target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.senate.gov\/legislative\/LIS\/roll_call_votes\/vote1192\/vote_119_2_00009.htm\">Senate <\/a>on Wednesday, January 14, blocked a resolution aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from launching new military actions in Venezuela without congressional authorization, after sustained pressure from the White House on Republican lawmakers.<\/p>\n<p>The measure failed by a 51\u201350 vote, with Vice President JD Vance casting the tie-breaking vote in favor of the executive.<\/p>\n<p>The initiative, introduced under the War Powers Resolution, followed the January 3 U.S. military operation that resulted in the kidnapping of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Combatant Cilia Flores, which triggered concern among some legislators and segments of U.S. public opinion over the scope of presidential authority to use force abroad.<\/p>\n<p>Under the U.S. Constitution, Congress holds the exclusive power to declare war, though presidents have historically expanded their freedom to conduct overseas military actions. The proposed resolution sought to reassert congressional oversight in the context of the imperialist agression to Venezuela.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-0\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2011644509227188534&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telesurenglish.net%2Fu-s-senate-blocks-venezuela-military%2F&amp;sessionId=9502f58f7126fd00f251b8afd15481855b82fa43&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2011644509227188534\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Only three Republican senators -Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Susan Collins of Maine- joined all Democrats in voting to advance consideration of the measure. Two Republicans who had initially supported it, Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, reversed their positions after what were described as tense exchanges with Trump. The outcome underscored the president\u2019s continued influence within his party and highlighted internal Republican divisions over foreign policy.<\/p>\n<p>The vote carried broader political significance beyond Venezuela, as it occurred amid Trump\u2019s repeated threats to use military force to take control of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark. Danish officials said after meetings with Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio that a \u201cfundamental disagreement\u201d remains regarding the island\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p>Several senators, including Hawley, said that the decision not to restrict presidential war powers was shaped by assurances from Rubio that the deployment of U.S. ground troops in Venezuela was not under consideration.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-1\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-1&amp;features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2011583739327807613&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telesurenglish.net%2Fu-s-senate-blocks-venezuela-military%2F&amp;sessionId=9502f58f7126fd00f251b8afd15481855b82fa43&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2011583739327807613\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Although the resolution faced long odds of becoming law, as it would have required Trump\u2019s approval, the vote served as a measure of party discipline and of how much discretion Congress is prepared to grant the president on the use of force. It also exposed the Republicans\u2019 narrow margin in the Senate.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered\"><iframe id=\"twitter-widget-2\" class=\"\" title=\"X Post\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?dnt=true&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-2&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=2011618191596827023&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.telesurenglish.net%2Fu-s-senate-blocks-venezuela-military%2F&amp;sessionId=9502f58f7126fd00f251b8afd15481855b82fa43&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-tweet-id=\"2011618191596827023\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Meanwhile, Democrats in the House of Representatives have introduced a parallel resolution and could force a vote as early as next week, keeping the debate over constitutional limits on executive power in foreign policy active.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telesurenglish.net\/u-s-senate-blocks-venezuela-military\/\" >Go to Original &#8211; telesurenglish.net<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>15 Jan 2026\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0A narrowly divided US Senate rejected a War Powers resolution that would have constrained President Donald Trump\u2019s authority to launch new military actions in Venezuela, with Vice President JD Vance casting a decisive tie-breaking vote.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":129207,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[867,1441,417,3614,1126,1050,950,541,559,3530,86,2571,1190,329,2137,880,249,70,557],"class_list":["post-312083","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anglo-america","tag-anglo-america","tag-big-oil","tag-bullying","tag-disaster-capitalism","tag-hegemony","tag-imperialism","tag-invasion","tag-latin-america-caribbean","tag-maduro","tag-military-capitalism","tag-occupation","tag-official-lies-and-narratives","tag-regime-change","tag-resources","tag-south-america","tag-state-terrorism","tag-trump","tag-usa","tag-venezuela"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312083","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=312083"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312083\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":312084,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/312083\/revisions\/312084"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129207"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=312083"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=312083"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=312083"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}