The Senate introduced a bill Thursday that would block President Donald Trump from using military force “within or against Venezuela” unless he gets prior approval from Congress, according to NBC News.
NBC called the bill a “warning shot” aimed at Trump and his efforts in Venezuela. Over the weekend, Trump ordered an operation in the South American country that ousted President Nicolás Maduro.
He has since stated that the US will rule the country for some time.
Republican leaders in the Senate tried to block the measure, but were unsuccessful. The vote to advance the bill passed with bipartisan support 52:47.
A full Senate vote on the bill is expected next week, according to NBC.
Five Republicans voted to advance the measure: Todd Young of Indiana, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Josh Hawley of Missouri. according to CBS News.
Trump reacted angrily to their support for the bill.
“Republicans should be ashamed of the senators who just voted with Democrats in an attempt to take away our authority to fight and defend the United States of America,” Trump wrote Thursday. True Socialand added that the senators had acted “stupidly”.
He also said they “should never be elected to office again,” according to CBS.
To become law, the bill would still have to pass the House of Representatives and be signed by Trump, who could choose to veto it. The bill did not pass the Senate with a veto majority, according to ABC News.
Overriding a presidential veto requires a two-thirds majority in both the Senate and the House.
The resolution was pushed by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, according to ABC.
“Where will it go next? Will the president deploy our troops to protect Iranian protesters? To enforce a fragile cease-fire in Gaza? To fight terrorists in Nigeria? To seize Greenland or the Panama Canal? To suppress Americans who peacefully gathered to protest his policies?” Kaine said in a Jan. 3 statement, according to ABC. “Trump has threatened to do all that and more, and he sees no need to seek legal authorization from an elected legislature before putting service members at risk.”
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