Congress's failure to stop President Donald Trump from attacking Venezuela has left many wondering how the legislative body could have missed such an obvious opportunity. In reality, lawmakers had ample chance to intervene and block the military action, but their inaction is a result of a combination of factors.
Since September, the Trump administration has been conducting strikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean without congressional approval. The government claimed that these operations were aimed at disrupting illicit trafficking, but Democrats have questioned this narrative, arguing that the actions may be part of a broader effort to destabilize Venezuela's democratically elected government.
As the attacks escalated, lawmakers began to push back. In October, Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine introduced a resolution aimed at blocking further strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats. However, despite receiving bipartisan support, including votes from Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, the measure ultimately failed due to lack of Republican support.
In November, the Senate voted on another resolution aimed at preventing Trump from attacking Venezuela itself without congressional authorization. The measure also fell short, with Democratic Senator John Fetterman voting in favor of it, but it lacked sufficient Republican backing.
The failure of these resolutions has raised concerns that lawmakers may have been misled by administration officials, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who assured Congress that the U.S. was not poised for war. However, some Republicans privately express disappointment with Rubio's handling of the situation.
Now, with a new resolution set to come up for a vote in the Senate this week, lawmakers are preparing one last chance to block military action against Venezuela. Democrats like Senator Tim Kaine plan to use every available tool to limit Trump's ability to wage war without congressional approval.
Despite their best efforts, however, it remains unclear whether Congress will ultimately be able to stop the U.S. from taking further military action in Venezuela. With tensions in the region escalating and the administration showing no signs of backing down, one thing is certain: the clock is ticking for lawmakers to act.
Since September, the Trump administration has been conducting strikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean without congressional approval. The government claimed that these operations were aimed at disrupting illicit trafficking, but Democrats have questioned this narrative, arguing that the actions may be part of a broader effort to destabilize Venezuela's democratically elected government.
As the attacks escalated, lawmakers began to push back. In October, Senators Adam Schiff and Tim Kaine introduced a resolution aimed at blocking further strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats. However, despite receiving bipartisan support, including votes from Republicans Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, the measure ultimately failed due to lack of Republican support.
In November, the Senate voted on another resolution aimed at preventing Trump from attacking Venezuela itself without congressional authorization. The measure also fell short, with Democratic Senator John Fetterman voting in favor of it, but it lacked sufficient Republican backing.
The failure of these resolutions has raised concerns that lawmakers may have been misled by administration officials, particularly Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who assured Congress that the U.S. was not poised for war. However, some Republicans privately express disappointment with Rubio's handling of the situation.
Now, with a new resolution set to come up for a vote in the Senate this week, lawmakers are preparing one last chance to block military action against Venezuela. Democrats like Senator Tim Kaine plan to use every available tool to limit Trump's ability to wage war without congressional approval.
Despite their best efforts, however, it remains unclear whether Congress will ultimately be able to stop the U.S. from taking further military action in Venezuela. With tensions in the region escalating and the administration showing no signs of backing down, one thing is certain: the clock is ticking for lawmakers to act.
The fact that a whole month has passed since the last attempt to block Trump's attacks on Venezuela without Congressional approval says it all. 
They're scrambling around now like rats in a maze, hoping to catch a break with their new resolution. 
It's a shame that they didn't act sooner. 
The longer they wait, the more likely it is that something bad will happen. 
... I mean, it seems like Congress had plenty of chances to stop Trump from attacking Venezuela, but they just kinda... didn't 
... And what about Marco Rubio? He was saying one thing in public and another behind closed doors?
... How can we trust any of these guys to make good decisions when it comes to something as important as war? 
. And what's up with all these back-and-forth resolutions? Can't they just agree on something already? 
The whole thing feels so contrived... and what about Marco Rubio's involvement? Is he even trying to tell us the truth or is he just playing a part in the drama? 
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, it's like they're all playing different roles in a superhero movie and no one knows who's the real hero 
. Senator Kaine is trying his best to do something, but I'm not holding my breath 
, we've seen this scenario play out before.
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And what's with all these people claiming they didn't know about it until it was too late? 
60% of Americans want Trump to veto the new resolution, but can Congress really count on a veto-proof majority? 
Some stats: in August, US military operations in Venezuela went from $1.3M to $14.5B. That's a 1099% increase! 
Meanwhile, Venezuelan GDP is expected to decline by 18.2% this year alone... 
What kind of damage can we expect if Trump takes action? 
Have you looked at the map of US military bases in Venezuela? 
There are like 20+ locations. It's a logistical nightmare! 
no oversight 
congress is so slow 
they need to wake up 
and do their job 
they're not going to stop him 
but will it be too late? 
is the damage already done? 
or can they pull off an epic save? 
. But we all knew Trump was gonna do something crazy with his "America First" nonsense 
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. Now it's all on the line and I don't see how they'll stop Trump from taking military action against Venezuela 
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. Like, how could Congress just let this happen? I mean, Trump is literally attacking another country without their consent, and they're all like "oh well" 
. It's like, what even is the point of having a congress if you can't stop a president from doing something crazy? And don't even get me started on Rubio - what was he thinking? 
it's like they're letting the situation spiral out of control and i honestly don't get why republicans are being so spineless about this whole thing 