US Senators Introduce War Powers Resolution to Block Trump’s 'Hostilities' in Venezuela

Thursday, 04 December 2025 6:38 AM

This handout photo from the US Marine Corps taken on November 25, 2025, shows US forces deployed near the Venezuelan border in the Caribbean Sea. (Photo by AFP)

A bipartisan group of US senators has introduced a war powers resolution to block President Donald Trump’s unauthorized military "hostilities" in Venezuela, warning that the actions risk dragging the US into an “unnecessary foreign war.”

The bipartisan resolution introduced in the Senate would direct the president to withdraw US forces from Venezuela unless Congress explicitly authorizes the mission.

Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, alongside Democratic Senators Chuck Schumer of New York, Tim Kaine of Virginia, and Adam Schiff of California, are leading the move against what they called unauthorized US military “hostilities” against Venezuela.

The senators' bid comes as Trump said last week that US military forces deployed near Venezuela would “very soon” take ground action against the Bolivarian country. 

The lawmakers say Congress has not approved military action in or against Venezuela and argue the Constitution reserves that power to the legislative branch.

The resolution is now headed for review at a specialized Senate committee.

Trump administration officials have framed the deployment of US forces in and around Venezuela as part of a broader effort to deter drug smuggling. However, Caracas and analysts say the pressure is aimed at toppling the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

US Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has censured President Donald Trump for pushing the United States toward war with Venezuela.

Senator Paul said the labeling of Latin American leaders as drug dealers without any proof was "a dangerous fantasy."

"Branding individuals as 'narco-terrorist' without proof just to open the door to lethal force is not a legitimate policy," Paul posted Wednesday on X.

The senator wrote that such action "bypasses due process, shreds constitutional limits, and pushes America toward another unnecessary foreign war."

Paul asserted that US foreign policy and military actions must be based on international law.

"Our national security decisions must be grounded in facts and governed by law, not political theatrics," he said, adding, "Anything less endangers our values and our troops."

The White House supports War Secretary Hegseth’s ordering US forces to “kill everybody” on board a boat in the Caribbean, and authorizing a second lethal strike on the same vessel.

The US military has killed more than 80 people since early September in strikes on vessels the Trump administration alleges were transporting drugs toward the United States.

The Trump administration has failed to prove to the international community that the vessels were allegedly transporting narcotics, as human rights bodies have slammed the boat attacks as extrajudicial killings. 

Meanwhile, the Trump administration faces mounting scrutiny after reports that US forces carried out a second strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug boat, killing survivors of an initial attack.

War Secretary Pete Hegseth reportedly ordered troops to “kill them all,” a directive that violates international law.

Lawmakers warn the operation may constitute a war crime, while experts argue the administration’s justification—labeling alleged traffickers as “terrorists”—lacks transparency.

The US military campaign began off Venezuela’s Caribbean coast and later expanded into the eastern Pacific. American military buildup in the region is unprecedented in decades.