BREAKING: The Senate has advanced a war powers resolution, which would block the president’s use of the U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.

BREAKING: The Senate has advanced a war powers resolution, which would block the president’s use of the U.S. armed forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress.

The legislation, if finally approved by the Senate, would still need to be approved by the House and signed by the president. The bill did not pass the Senate with a veto-proof majority and it seems unlikely that Trump would sign it into law.

A small group of Senate Republicans joined with all Democrats to narrowly advance the resolution by a vote of 52-47. It needed 51 votes to move forward.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday took a rare step to check presidential authority on military action by advancing a war powers resolution aimed at restricting President Donald Trump’s ability to engage U.S. armed forces in hostilities within or against Venezuela without explicit congressional approval.

The procedural vote to move the resolution forward passed narrowly **52‑47**, with **five Republican senators joining all Senate Democrats** in support. The measure now heads toward a full Senate vote on final passage, though it still requires approval by the Republican‑controlled House and the president’s signature to become law—a prospect widely viewed as unlikely.

The resolution, backed by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (D‑Va.) and co‑sponsored by Republicans including Sens. Rand Paul (R‑Ky.), Lisa Murkowski (R‑Alaska) and Susan Collins (R‑Maine), would bar further U.S. military action targeting Venezuela unless **Congress specifically authorizes it**. Proponents argue it is needed to uphold the Constitution’s allocation of war powers and respond to growing concern over unilateral executive military decisions.

The move follows increased U.S. military involvement in Venezuela, including a recent operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro—an action that sparked bipartisan unease on Capitol Hill. Critics of the administration’s strategy say lawmakers were not adequately informed beforehand and that further action could embroil the U.S. in an open‑ended conflict.

Administration officials, however, have pushed back, with allies of the president characterizing the resolution as weakening national security and eroding the commander‑in‑chief’s authority. The White House has signaled that the president will likely veto the measure if it reaches his desk.

Even if vetoed, the Senate’s vote marks a significant bipartisan rebuke and underscores growing congressional scrutiny of foreign military engagements that do not have prior legislative approval.