Senate Advances Venezuela War Powers Resolution

The U.S. Senate voted 52-47 on January 8th to advance the Venezuela War Powers Resolution, with five Republicans joining Democrats. The resolution would prohibit President Donald Trump from undertaking additional military actions in Venezuela without approval from Congress, directing him to terminate the use of United States armed forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela unless explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force. Senators Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Todd Young of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Josh Hawley of Missouri voted yes to advance the motion. Thursday's vote paved the way for a Senate floor vote on the resolution. Hawley said President Donald Trump needs congressional approval to send troops to Venezuela. To me, this is all about going forward. If the president should determine, you know what, I need to put troops on the ground in Venezuela, I think that would require Congress to move. This is the fourth attempt at passing such a law during President Donald Trump's second term. However, the resolution still has an uphill battle ahead, as it must be passed in the House and will almost certainly be vetoed by Trump, even if it's passed in both chambers. The Congress appears not have the votes to overturn Trump's potential veto.