House Democrats are moving swiftly to force votes on two war powers resolutions designed to challenge President Trump’s military campaign against Venezuela, escalating congressional scrutiny of recent actions in the region.
The first resolution, introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), would require U.S. armed forces to withdraw from hostilities with any presidentially designated terrorist organization in the Western Hemisphere unless Congress authorizes military action. The second measure, championed by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), seeks congressional authorization for any U.S. military engagement within or against Venezuela.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) asserted on the House floor that “when war-making power devolves to one person, liberty dissolves.” He emphasized that Congress must vote before the President attempts regime change, noting, “If it were about drugs, we’d bomb Mexico, or China, or Colombia.”
McGovern’s resolution has attracted three Republican co-sponsors: Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, and Don Bacon of Nebraska.
The resolutions follow a series of military strikes by the Trump administration in the Caribbean, including a second operation on September 2 that killed survivors of an initial attack. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth have conducted classified briefings for congressional leaders, with Navy Adm. Frank Bradley overseeing the targeted operations.
Rep. Meeks criticized the administration’s rationale, stating: “It doesn’t seem to be just about narcotics trafficking.” He noted that Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández and Ross Ulbricht, the operator of the Silk Road drug marketplace, contradicts claims that the strikes target drugs alone. “He wouldn’t be seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela,” Meeks added.
The administration has announced a “total and complete blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving Venezuela, which Meeks described as part of an effort to achieve regime change through military force. He argued that such actions rely on “magical thinking” that military intervention can bring democracy to Venezuela.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) acknowledged the severity of Maduro’s rule, stating, “Maduro is a cancer on that continent.” However, the White House continues to assert that the 1973 War Powers Resolution does not apply to these strikes because they do not put service members in harm’s way.
The votes mark the first congressional efforts to regulate Trump’s military campaign in Central and South America. While a majority of Senate Republicans previously opposed similar resolutions, Democrats have secured the votes to compel public debate on the administration’s actions.
