Kaine, Paul, Schumer & Schiff Announce Senate Will Vote on Venezuela War Powers Resolution Tomorrow

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Rand Paul (R-KY), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) announced that the Senate will vote tomorrow morning at 11:00am on their War Powers Resolution to block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. The legislation needs a simple majority to pass the Senate.

"Instead of responding to Americans' concerns about the affordability crisis, President Trump started a war with Venezuela that is profoundly disrespectful to U.S. troops, deeply unpopular, suspiciously secretive, and likely corrupt. How is that 'America First?'," said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. "Trump's war is also clearly illegal because this military action was ordered without the congressional authorization the Constitution requires. To my Senate colleagues: enough is enough. You were sent here to have courage and to stand up for your constituents. That means no war without a debate and vote in Congress."

"Current congressional leaders squirm and would like to shift the burden of initiating war to the President," said Paul. "Less than courageous members of Congress fall all over themselves to avoid taking responsibility, to avoid the momentous vote of declaring war. But make no mistake, bombing another nation's capital and removing their leader is an act of war plain and simple. No provision in the Constitution provides such power to the presidency."

"For months, the Trump administration has dodged accountability and obfuscated their intentions and plans in the Caribbean and Venezuela. Now it is time for Congress to stop Trump's folly, reassert its constitutional authority in foreign conflicts, and pass the War Powers Act," said Leader Schumer. "Donald Trump seems content to drag our country and American families into an endless war with no plan, no transparency, and nothing but wishful thinking. But Congress can stop this. The next step is clear: tomorrow, Democrats and Republicans must come together to invoke the War Powers Act."

"Donald Trump's military action in Venezuela is potentially just the start of a prolonged engagement of U.S. forces in Venezuela and elsewhere. American servicemembers must not be used to secure oil resources from another country for the benefit of U.S. business leaders or for any other purpose not authorized by Congress. If Congress does not exercise its constitutional war powers now, there's no telling where Donald Trump will send our military next," said Schiff.

Kaine, Paul, and Schiff previously introduced a bipartisan resolution to prevent the use of military force within or against Venezuela, but it narrowly failed because it did not receive enough Republican votes to pass. Kaine and Schiff also introduced a similar measure focused on repeated strikes in the southern Caribbean Sea that the Trump Administration has carried out without congressional authorization, killing dozens of unknown individuals. The legislation did not gain enough Republican support to pass.

Full text of the resolution is available here.

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