Republican senators have defeated a proposal aimed at stopping U.S. military operations targeting vessels off the coast of Venezuela, which the Trump administration claims are involved in drug trafficking.
The resolution, presented by Democratic Senators Adam Schiff from California and Tim Kaine from Virginia, failed to pass with a vote of 48-51 on Wednesday.
This proposal sought to prevent the U.S. military from pulling its ships from Venezuelan waters, despite claims from the president that these vessels were smuggling fentanyl into the country.
“We are here today to ask our colleagues to support this bipartisan initiative, affirming Congress’ authority to declare war or authorize the use of force,” Schiff stated on the Senate floor just before the vote.
He added, “This resolution has been crafted carefully but does not limit the U.S. military’s capacity to target terrorist groups under Congress’ current authority.”
The Trump administration has reported conducting four airstrikes against suspected drug-trafficking ships in the Caribbean since early September, resulting in 21 fatalities. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth noted that a recent strike destroyed a vessel believed to be carrying drugs, killing four crew members.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro has indicated that the ship hit by U.S. forces was Colombian and contained Colombian nationals. The Hill has reached out to the Colombian embassy in Washington for more information.
Senator Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee, criticized the resolution, arguing that the administration’s actions were legally justified.
“President Trump was very clear during his campaign about targeting these cartels if needed. This is him fulfilling his promise, and the strikes were lawful and constrained,” Cotton commented before the vote. “Given that this has been ongoing for less than 60 days, it doesn’t even meet the War Powers Resolution criteria.”
Last week, the president declared that the U.S. is effectively at war with drug cartels, categorizing them as terrorist organizations, which provides a basis for military action against their vessels in the Caribbean.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed that the resolution was unconstitutional and could jeopardize innocent lives, arguing that it would hinder the president’s ability to protect Americans through military actions against narco-terrorists and other adversaries.
Only Senators Rand Paul (Kentucky) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) sided with the motion from the Republican side, while Senator John Fetterman (D-Pennsylvania) was the sole Democrat opposed to it.
Paul expressed his concerns about the military actions, stating, “The U.S. shouldn’t attack ships without knowledge of who’s on board. There’s no due process here—no names, no evidence, and no oversight.”
