Trump Accuses Five Republicans of Betraying National Security by Votin’ With Democrats on Venezuela War Powers Measure

President Donald Trump issued a public rebuke Thursday against five Republican senators who crossed party lines to support a Democratic-led resolution designed to restrict his authority to deploy military force in Venezuela.

The Senate voted 52-47 on Wednesday to advance the measure, with Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky, Susan Collins of Maine, Josh Hawley of Missouri, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Todd Young of Indiana joining all Democrats in the procedural step. The resolution sets the stage for a debate and final vote next week but faces significant hurdles in the Republican-controlled House and would require veto-proof support to override an expected presidential rejection.

Veto-proof approval entails securing a two-thirds majority in both chambers of Congress to enact legislation even after the president vetoes it.

After the Senate vote, Trump posted on Truth Social, specifically naming the five senators and urging their defeat in upcoming elections: “Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America,” he wrote, adding that the five “should never be elected to office again.”

The dispute follows a recent U.S. operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, an event that reignited congressional discussions about whether the administration is pursuing unapproved military actions.

Administration officials have characterized the Maduro seizure as a law enforcement mission rather than a war-fighting operation.

Proponents of the resolution argue that Congress must reassert its constitutional authority before expanding U.S. military engagement. Tim Kaine, D-Va., a co-sponsor of the measure, stated after the vote: “None of us should want this president, or any president, to take our sons and daughters to war without notice, consultation, debate, and a vote in Congress.”

Opponents labeled the resolution as political theater that undermines presidential authority during an ongoing security crisis.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, described the effort as “slapping the president in the face.”

Rand Paul also emphasized constitutional boundaries: “The debate really isn’t about good or evil,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of evil in the world. The question is about who has the power to take the country to war. The Constitution was very clear, and it divides war into two aspects. One is the declaration or initiation of war, that power was given to Congress, and then the execution of the war, the making of the war, was left to the president.”

Some Republicans who supported the procedural vote expressed uncertainty about the resolution’s immediate implications: “We were told that there are currently no boots on the ground. Is it an option?” asked Josh Hawley. “What I heard was that everything is an option.”