Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the Senate to vote on whether to formally authorize the Trump administration to take military action in Venezuela when it returns to Washington this week.
The New York Democrat said he is co-sponsoring a resolution that would prevent the president from taking further action in Venezuela following the U.S. attack on the country as part of an effort to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, who is being held in a federal prison in New York. Schumer said the administration violated the War Powers Act by failing to notify Congress before the attack.
“They didn’t just take the boats out of the water. They went into Venezuela and bombed civilians and military sites. What they did without congressional authorization was illegal,” Schumer said Sunday in an interview on ABC’s “This Week.”
Several Democratic lawmakers and some Republicans have criticized the Trump administration for failing to seek congressional authorization to use force before acting in Venezuela, as required by law. Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Kentucky) also co-sponsored the resolution, Schumer said.
Although the Senate vote will take place after Saturday’s attack, it would require Trump to obtain congressional approval for future attacks on Venezuela.
“This issue is going to court this week,” Schumer said. “If it passes, if both chambers vote in favor, then the president can’t do anything else in Venezuela without the consent of Congress. We have to pass it.”
In addition to Paul, Democrats will need the support of at least three Republican senators for the resolution to pass – putting pressure on Trump’s allies in the Senate to back military action. Republicans have largely praised Trump’s actions, including those from the party’s “Make America Great Again” wing, who have urged the United States to withdraw its military activities overseas.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed Schumer’s support for a resolution to use military force in Venezuela but did not provide details on when the House would hold a vote.
“We have to make sure that when we return to Washington, D.C., we take legislative action to ensure that no further military action is taken without explicit congressional approval,” Jeffries said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
