❓WHAT HAPPENED: The Senate is set to vote on legislation aimed at limiting President Donald J. Trump’s ability to use military force against drug cartels, focusing on recent strikes against Venezuelan drug traffickers in the Caribbean.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: President Trump, Senate Democrats, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), among others.
📍WHEN & WHERE: The vote is set to take place on Wednesday in the U.S. Senate at 6:45 PM, following recent military actions in the Caribbean.
💬KEY QUOTE: “It sends a message when a significant number of legislators say, ‘Hey, this is a bad idea,’” said Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA).
🎯IMPACT: The legislation seeks to reassert congressional authority over war powers, but the White House has indicated President Trump would veto the measure if passed.
The Senate will vote Wednesday evening at 6:45 PM on a resolution aimed at restricting President Donald J. Trump‘s ability to conduct military strikes against drug cartels without congressional authorization. This comes after the U.S. military carried out four strikes on vessels used by Venezuelan drug traffickers in the Caribbean, resulting in 21 deaths and the interception of narcotics.
The Trump White House has argued that drug cartels are armed combatants posing a threat to the U.S., justifying military action under presidential war powers. However, some lawmakers, including Democrats and a few Republicans, question the legal basis for the strikes.
Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) led the push for the resolution, citing concerns about the precedent such actions could set. “This is the kind of thing that leads a country, unexpectedly and unintentionally, into war,” Schiff warned. The resolution, brought under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, would bar further military strikes unless Congress explicitly authorized them.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) was the only Republican to cosponsor the resolution ahead of the vote, although others, such as Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND), expressed concerns about an alleged lack of detailed information from the administration. Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), however, defended the President’s actions, stating, “I’m going to vote no when the President is exercising his constitutional responsibility.”
The White House has already indicated that President Trump would veto the resolution if it passed. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also urged senators to oppose the legislation, emphasizing the threat posed by drug cartels to U.S. safety and security.
Despite the support from Sen. Paul, the Democrat-backed resolution is still expected to fall short of the votes needed to pass.
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