House Democrats have moved to force votes on two war powers resolutions amid heightened tensions with Venezuela. The first measure would require U.S. armed forces to remove themselves from hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere unless Congress authorizes military action. The second resolution would mandate that the armed forces cease hostilities within or against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
Representative Gregory Meeks (D-NY) introduced the first measure, while Representative Jim McGovern (D-MA) introduced the second.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) stated: “When war-making power devolves to one person, liberty dissolves. Congress needs to vote before the President attempts regime change.” He added, “If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico, or China, or Colombia.”
Massie also noted: “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.”
McGovern’s resolution has three GOP co-sponsors: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Don Bacon of Nebraska.
During a House briefing on Tuesday, Meeks expressed concerns that members received no adequate explanation for why the Trump administration had not consulted Congress before conducting strikes in Venezuela. He questioned the administration’s motivations, stating: “It doesn’t seem to be just about narcotics trafficking.”
Meeks further explained: “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.” He added: “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.”
Meeks also noted: “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.’”
The administration has not sought congressional authorization for its recent actions in the Caribbean, arguing it can destroy drug-carrying boats as it would handle terrorist threats. However, this rationale has drawn scrutiny after a September 2 operation killed two survivors of an initial strike.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth held classified briefings for senators and representatives on Tuesday, with additional details provided to the House and Senate Armed Services Committees by Navy Adm. Frank Bradley, who ordered a second strike in Venezuela.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) stated: “Maduro is a cancer on that continent.”
The anticipated votes follow President Trump’s announcement of a “total and complete blockade of all sanctioned oil tankers going into, and out of, Venezuela.” In his statement, Trump described the Venezuelan regime as using stolen oil to finance drug trafficking, human smuggling, murder, kidnapping, and terrorism.
House Democrats are seeking these votes as a way to force Republicans to go on record supporting the administration’s military campaign in the region. A majority of Republicans in the Senate had previously voted against similar resolutions, and Trump would likely veto any such measures if they passed Congress.
The White House has maintained that the 1973 War Powers Resolution does not apply to the boat strikes because it views them as not putting service members in harm’s way.