House Democrats To Force Votes On War Powers Resolutions As Tension With Venezuela Intensifies

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House Democrats intend to force votes on two war powers resolutions amid the heightened tension with Venezuela, CBS News reports.

According to the outlet, the first measure would remove U.S. armed forces “from hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere,” unless Congress authorizes military action.

The second measure would remove the armed forces “from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.”

Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY) introduced the first measure and Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced the second measure.

“I spoke for the War Powers Resolution directing the President to remove armed forces from hostilities in Venezuela unless Congress authorizes it,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) said.

“When war-making power devolves to one person, liberty dissolves. Congress needs to vote before the President attempts regime change,” he continued.

“If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico, or China, or Colombia,” Massie said on the House floor.

“This is about oil and regime change. And when it comes to regime change, we’ve already been down this road with Venezuela with nothing to show for it,” he continued.

Watch Massie’s comments:

CBS News shared further:

McGovern’s resolution could face the best chance of potential adoption, since it has three GOP co-sponsors — Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Don Bacon of Nebraska. Bacon said he also would vote in favor of Meeks’ measure.

Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, the president is required to consult Congress “in every possible instance” before introducing armed forces into hostilities, unless there has been a declaration of war or other congressional authorization. But the White House has suggested that the decades-old law does not apply to the boat strikes because it does not view the attacks as putting service members in harm’s way.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held two separate classified briefings Tuesday for all senators and House members. The House and Senate Armed Services Committee received a more detailed briefing on Wednesday with Navy Adm. Frank Bradley, who ordered a second strike killing survivors of the initial Sept. 2 strike.

Meeks left Tuesday’s House briefing saying members received no adequate explanation for why the Trump administration has not consulted Congress before the strikes. He also questioned the president’s motivations.

“It doesn’t seem to be just about narcotics trafficking,” Meeks told reporters Tuesday. “So if this is about regime change, it seems to me that the administration should say that’s what it is, and should come to Congress to ask for that authorization, which has not taken place.”

“As I said earlier today on this floor, during the debate on my War Powers Resolution to end this administration’s extrajudicial strikes on boats in the Western Hemisphere, those bombings are not about drugs. If the administration did want to stop drugs, Trump would not have pardoned the former President of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hernández, or Ross Ulbricht, who operated the Silk Road drug marketplace. He wouldn’t be seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela. Or threatening CIA operations, blockades, and ground strikes on Venezuela,” Meeks said on the House floor during debate.

“It’s not about drugs, it’s about regime change, and it’s about oil. That’s not just me saying that. It’s Trump himself saying it. It’s President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Susie Wiles, who said Trump wants to, and I quote, ‘keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle.’ And it relies on the magical thinking that military force can bring democracy in Venezuela or anywhere else,” he continued.

Watch his comments on the House floor:

The anticipated votes follow Trump announcing a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.”

“The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping. For the theft of our Assets, and many other reasons, including Terrorism, Drug Smuggling, and Human Trafficking, the Venezuelan Regime has been designated a FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATION,” Trump said.

In addition, former Fox News host Tucker Carlson said a member of Congress told him lawmakers were briefed that Trump will announce “a war is coming” during his address to the nation.

Tucker Carlson Says Member Of Congress Told Him President Trump Will Announce “A War Is Coming” During Address To Nation

More from the Associated Press:

They are the first votes in the House on Trump’s military campaign in Central and South America. A majority of Republicans in the Senate had previously voted against similar resolutions, and Trump would almost certainly veto them if they were to pass Congress. But Democrats forced the votes as a way to bring up a debate about the military campaign and force Republicans to go on the record about supporting it.

Republican leaders have increasingly expressed support for Trump’s campaign, even as it potentially escalates into a direct confrontation with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier Wednesday that he didn’t know whether the Trump administration had “publicly stated” that they wanted regime change, but “I would certainly not have a problem if that was their position.”

“Maduro is a cancer on that continent,” added Thune, R-S.D.

Still, the Trump administration has not sought congressional authorization for its recent actions in the Caribbean, arguing instead that it can destroy drug-carrying boats just as it would handle terrorist threats against the U.S. That rationale, however, has led to deep scrutiny of the strikes, especially after it was revealed that a Sept. 2 operation killed two people who had survived an initial attack.



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