Republicans Block Effort to Check Trump's Power in Venezuela

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Source: New York Times (gift link)

The Senate on Wednesday blocked a resolution that sought to force President Trump to seek congressional approval for any U.S. military action related to Venezuela.

Republican leaders were able to garner enough support for their procedural maneuver to kill the resolution after Senators Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana flipped their position and joined the effort to stop it from coming up for a vote.

The shift brought about a 50-50 tie, which was broken late Wednesday in favor of Republican leadership by Vice President JD Vance, in his role as president of the Senate.

Mr. Hawley and Mr. Young were part of a group of five Republicans who last week joined all Democrats in supporting the measure aiming to curb the president’s war powers......

Democrats argued that the U.S. military remained involved, and they insisted that congressional oversight was required.

“There are U.S. military seizing Venezuelan oil every day. There’s U.S. military striking Venezuelans on boats in the water every day. We’re not occupying their country without the military,” Mr. Kaine said. “We just went in and deposed their government. We are controlling who governs the country. We are controlling when Venezuelans are entitled to have elections again. We’re controlling their chief economic asset. That’s all being done by the U.S. military.”

Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/14/us/politics/trump-venezuela-war-powers-vote.html?unlocked_article_code=1.EVA.VsPJ.4_Z4II5f0UFi&smid=nytcore-ios-share

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[Moostache]

1. If you're playing along at home, they just essentially gave him unilateral control of the military.

Better start investing in those MAGA hats and shirts and flags because we're about 6 months or less away from homes WITHOUT proper party support being set afire and the occupants either allowed to burn or captured and sent to camps for final solutions to the protest question.

Hyperbolic? Alarmist? Tell that to Renee Good. First, but far from the last.

[Buddyzbuddy]

2. Hawley, showing the same courage he had on Jan. 6

Not the guy you want to share a foxhole with.
You know, the guy that says he doesn't have to be faster than the bear. He just has to be faster than you.

[Cheezoholic]

3. Todd Young wanted something and must've gotten it. He'sa full on fascist prick like Hawley n/t

[choie]

4. God these people are repulsive.

Not a shred of ethics or integrity. They can be bought by threats of one kind or another. My hatred for them knows no bounds.

[Marie Marie]

5. On the plus side (however small) Trump and the GOP OWN THIS.

When this all goes to shit and we know it will, they own this mess and the inevitable quagmire heading down the pike.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Vance casts tie-breaking vote as GOP caves to Trump's pressure campaign on war powers

Arrgh

Vance casts tie-breaking vote as GOP caves to Trump's pressure campaign on war powers

— #TuckFrump (@realtuckfrumper.bsky.social) 2026-01-14T23:59:43.000Z

https://www.rawstory.com/senate-republicans-2674895714/

Senate Republicans voted to kill a bill on Wednesday that would have limited President Donald Trump's war powers, according to a new report.

Trump had been pressuring Republicans to kill the bill, and Sens. Todd Young (R-IN) and Josh Hawley (R-MO) flipped their votes on Wednesday, Andrew Desiderio of Punchbowl News reported. Vice President JD Vance was the tie-breaking vote.

Young said in a statement that he flipped his vote after securing a promise from Trump that he would ask Congress for permission on a major strike against Venezuela in advance of such an operation.

[mommymarine2003]

7. It's only a matter of time before we start losing troops. Please let it be the children of Republicans.

My middle child graduated from high school in 2001. He had signed up with the Marines prior to 9-11, but he kept his promise to our country and went to boot camp at MCRD - San Diego that October. His buddy bailed. When it looked like we were headed to war, I contacted my congressman at the time, Adam Smith of Washington State. He was in session, but he returned my call later that night. Throughout our conversation, I kept repeating that Congress had better be right about the weapons of mass destruction, as you never should send our troops to war based on a lie. My father at the time was against going to war until Colin Powell spoke to the country. We gave Bush and Powell the benefit of the doubt. My father spent 31 years in the Marine Corps. He was a fighter pilot in the South Pacific in WWII and served in both Korea and Vietnam. He never forgave LBJ or McNamara for the lies about the Gulf of Tonkin fiasco. My son crossed over the first day of the Iraq war. He had his first shower in Saddam Hussein's palace in Tikrit. He had several close calls. He returned back to Camp Pendleton after 9 months. Four months later he was sent back to Iraq. My father said he did not have enough time to decompress. This time he was sent to Ramadi (same time as Fallujah) to help out Army Special Forces, even though he was a Marine. My son was in communications. They took mortars almost every day. His gunnery sergeant was blown up. The military kept extending his deployment. Since he was in communications, he was able to call us quite often, always in the middle of the night. He was falling apart and started to talk about suicide. By some miracle, a Navy captain from Camp Pendleton realized he was in crisis and he was given help with depression and then eventually returned to CA. It took him 10 years to recover. He did not come out of his room for 2 years except to eat. His legs atrophied. He quit driving because he had panic attacks. It was a long road back. The VA here in Portland and Vancouver, WA really cared. The treatment in Seattle/Tacoma area was a nightmare. There were 1000 soldiers to each psychiatrist. I had to fight for him and set up a meeting with the hospital ombudsman at American Lake in the Tacoma area. She found him a new psychiatrist, but it was my husband taking a new job in the Portland area with access to better treatment that saved his life, as well as getting him a corgi and daily walks to a little lake in our neighborhood to watch the baby geese grow up and me driving his 5 days a week to therapy in Portland and Vancouver.

Now we have a grandson that lives with us. He is 16. We know that he needs discipline, but over my dead body, he will not join the military. My oldest grandson is autistic, so he is safe. My other grandsons are too young, the youngest two being 23 months and 7 months (children of my Marine son, along with a 6-year-old girl). With all the wars Trump is getting us into, I expect the draft will happen. Eli is safe for the next year and a half. I just want to see all the Magat's offer up their kids.

[mzmolly]

8. Their children are safe.

So, no big.

[cstanleytech]

9. If Republicans won't do their job then it's time for the Courts to step in on as it's a Constitutional violation.