Washington, Jan 9, 2026 — The United States Senate has passed a resolution requiring President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval before launching any future military operations in Venezuela, amid growing concern over executive overreach following a recent US intervention in the Latin American nation.
The resolution, adopted on Thursday by a 52–47 vote, invokes the War Powers Resolution, mandating that the president obtain authorization from Congress before deploying US armed forces in Venezuela again. The measure was jointly introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, according to Reuters.
The vote took place less than a week after a US-approved operation in Venezuela resulted in the arrest of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The dramatic operation has triggered sharp debate in Washington over constitutional limits on presidential war-making powers.
Although the resolution requires only a simple majority in the Republican-controlled Senate, it is largely procedural. Still, its passage signals that it now faces little resistance as it moves to the House of Representatives, where Republicans hold only a narrow majority.
President Trump reacted angrily to the vote, publicly criticizing five Republican senators who sided with Democrats. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump accused them of attempting to “strip the United States of its ability to defend itself and fight.”
He went further, stating that Senators Rand Paul, Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Todd Young of Indiana “should never be elected again.”
Responding to Trump’s remarks, Senator Susan Collins told reporters at Capitol Hill that the former president’s comments suggested he might prefer Maine’s Democratic Governor Janet Mills or others with whom he has strained relations.
In a separate statement, Senator Rand Paul said there should be “no confusion” about the constitutional issue. “Bombing another country’s capital and removing its leader amounts to war,” he said, adding that the US Constitution grants Congress—not the president—the authority to declare war.
Trump and his allies in Congress have argued that the operation to detain Maduro did not require congressional consultation, claiming it was a “law enforcement action.” Maduro is currently facing drug-related charges in New York.
A similar proposal failed in the Senate last November, when only two Republicans—Paul and Murkowski—voted in favor alongside Democrats. In the months leading up to Maduro’s arrest, the Trump administration had significantly increased military preparations around Venezuela.
Despite supporting the operation that led to Maduro’s capture, Senator Collins emphasized limits to her support. “The mission was highly precise and complex, and I supported it,” she said. “However, I do not support additional troop deployments or prolonged military engagement in Venezuela or Greenland without explicit congressional authorization.”
