Washington, DC [US], January 8 (ANI): The US Senate on Thursday advanced a resolution that would prohibit President Donald Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without prior approval from the US Congress, days after US forces carried out military action in the Latin American country. The move cleared the way for additional debate in the 100-member chamber.
According to Al Jazeera, the procedural vote to advance the War Powers resolution passed 52–47, with a small group of Republicans joining all Democrats in support.
Five Republican senators joined efforts to move forward the bipartisan resolution aimed at preventing Trump from using additional military force against Venezuela, a move that could derail the administration’s plans to seize control of the country’s oil exports, The Hill reported.
The measure was introduced by Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky and was voted out of committee with support from fellow Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and Todd Young of Indiana, clearing the way for consideration on the Senate floor.
Lawmakers expect a vote on final passage as early as next week, though it could take place later on Thursday if senators agree to fast-track the process, according to The Hill.
Even if the resolution passes the Senate, it would still require approval from the House of Representatives, where a similar proposal narrowly failed last month. The measure would also almost certainly face a presidential veto, The Hill reported.
The resolution is co-sponsored by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of New York, along with Senators Tim Kaine of Virginia and Adam Schiff of California, underscoring rare bipartisan opposition to the administration’s approach toward Venezuela.
The development comes days after the US launched what it described as a “large-scale strike” in the Venezuelan capital of Caracas and captured President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Maduro and Flores were flown out of the country in a joint operation involving intelligence agencies and US law enforcement. They were indicted on charges of alleged drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies in the Southern District of New York and are currently facing trial.
Following their capture, Trump said Washington would run the country “until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.”
He said the US action was aimed at bringing “outlaw dictator Nicolas Maduro to justice.”
“We’re going to run the country until such time as we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition. We want peace, justice and liberty for the great people of Venezuela. We can’t take a chance if somebody else takes over Venezuela and doesn’t have the good of the Venezuelan people in mind. We’re not going to let that happen. We are there now, but we are going to stay until such time as a proper transition takes place. We’re going to run it essentially until such time,” he said.
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