Members of the Bolivarian militia participate in a military deployment in support of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, September 23. Maduro announced that he was considering declaring a “state of external unrest” to confront “aggressions” from the United States.
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images
Amid a wave of U.S. military strikes in the Caribbean and plans for covert operations in Venezuela, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, is leading a bipartisan effort to force a vote to prevent President Trump from unilaterally declaring war on the South American nation.
Kaine, a longtime supporter of Congress’ power to declare war, filed the resolution Thursday evening, a move that will force the Senate to pass the bill after a 10-day waiting period. Sens. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., and Rand Paul, R-Ky., co-sponsored the plan.
Kaine said concerns about war in the Latin American region are growing.
“The pace of announcements, authorization of covert activities and military planning makes me think there is a chance this is imminent,” Kaine told reporters.
Sen. Tim Kaine, Democrat of Virginia, speaks to reporters outside the Senate chamber October 1. Kaine hopes to prevent President Trump from unilaterally waging war in Venezuela without congressional approval.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
hide caption
toggle caption
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
This week, Trump said the United States had carried out another military strike against an alleged drug ship in the Caribbean and announced he had authorized CIA operations in Venezuela. He also indicated that he was considering land operations in the country.
“We almost completely stopped it by sea. Now we’re going to stop it by land,” Trump said Wednesday from the Oval Office of the alleged drug trade.
Last week, Kaine and Schiff forced a Senate vote to limit Trump’s war powers in the Caribbean. Although that vote failed 48-51, two Republicans, Paul and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, joined Democrats in support.
Paul sharply criticized the new military strikes, saying they set a precedent for the United States to shoot first without question.
“The American people do not want to be drawn into an endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote,” Paul said in a statement. “We must defend what the Constitution requires: deliberation before war.”
Kaine, Paul and Schiff hope more Republican members will vote in favor of the new limits. Several Republicans voted for other resolutions on war powers and the use of military force spearheaded by Kaine in the past.
“I think it’s probably about 10 (Republicans) who voted yes on at least one of them,” he said. “So we’re going to start working on that.”
It remains unclear whether there will be enough Republican votes for this measure to succeed.
Kaine said Congress continues to face a “black hole” of information related to action against Venezuela. Lawmakers say the administration still hasn’t shared evidence to justify the boat strikes, which Kaine and others say are illegal and unconstitutional.
Since September, Trump has ordered at least five U.S. military strikes against boats that the administration says were carrying illegal drugs. So far, at least 27 people are believed to have been killed, but their identities have not yet been shared.
