US Senate Republicans block bill curbing Trump’s power to attack Venezuela

​​​​​​​By Gizem Nisa Demir

ISTANBUL (AA) - US Senate Republicans on Thursday voted down legislation that would have required congressional approval before President Donald Trump could launch military strikes against Venezuela, rejecting an effort by Democrats to rein in the White House’s escalating campaign against President Nicolas Maduro.

The measure, introduced by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, failed 49-51 after the GOP leadership moved to block it. “We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress. The lives of our troops are at stake,” Kaine said in a floor speech, according to Canadian public outlet CBC News.

Under the US Constitution, only Congress has the power to declare war.

Republicans defended Trump’s ongoing military buildup in the Caribbean, where US forces -- including an advanced aircraft carrier -- are targeting alleged drug-smuggling operations.

“President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics,” said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

But critics accused the administration of pursuing regime change under the guise of counter-narcotics.

“It’s really an open secret that this is much more about potential regime change,” said Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff of California. “If that’s where the administration is headed ... then Congress needs to be heard on this.”

While the resolution stood little chance of becoming law -- Trump would have almost certainly vetoed it -- it reflected growing unease on Capitol Hill about the president’s unilateral use of military force.

Some Republicans, like Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, questioned the campaign’s costs and duration, warning that if it drags on “we have to have a real discussion about whether or not we’re engaging in some sort of hybrid war.”

Democrats argued the strikes, which have killed at least 66 people in 16 operations, rest on shaky legal ground, executing people without providing evidence of their guilt or giving them a chance to defend themselves.

“You cannot bomb your way out of a drug crisis,” said Sen. Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Armed Services Committee.

Still, Kaine said forcing the vote was necessary to make lawmakers take a stand. “Congress has got to just stand up and be counted -- or not,” he said.