Senators hoping to rein in President Donald Trump’s military adventurism are vowing not to give up despite a legislative defeat, as House Democrats press ahead with their own Venezuela war powers resolution.
Under procedures outlined in the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a concurrent resolution filed by Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., aimed at preventing more military strikes against Venezuela will be eligible for a vote in the House as soon as Jan. 22.
McGovern’s office did not have an update Thursday on the exact timing of the vote, but earlier in the week, McGovern expressed hope at his resolution’s prospects.
“I think it’s important for the administration to know that people here don’t believe they have a blank check,” McGovern said. “War is a serious issue.”
Unlike the Senate’s joint resolution, however, the House’s concurrent resolution carries no force of law and is therefore nonbinding on the executive branch, according to most procedural and legal experts. The reason many House lawmakers use concurrent resolutions is because they are subject to fast-track consideration in that chamber, rather than joint resolutions which are not.
The House vote will come after the Senate voted to sink a similar resolution on Venezuela after two Republicans who previously supported the measure switched sides amid pressure from GOP leadership and the Trump administration.
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 51-50, with Vice President JD Vance breaking a tie, to sustain a point of order against the Venezuela resolution after GOP Sens. Josh Hawley of Missouri and Todd Young of Indiana, who both voted to advance the resolution a week ago, backed the point of order. The vote essentially shelved the resolution.
Hawley and Young flipped after Trump administration officials assured them the administration has no plans for ground troops in Venezuela and would seek congressional approval if that changes. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also committed to publicly testifying before the Senate Foreign Relation Committee, Young said.
Despite Wednesday’s outcome on the resolution he sponsored, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said Thursday he is undeterred and still expects numerous other war powers resolutions on places Trump has threatened in recent weeks, including Colombia, Mexico, Cuba, Iran, Nigeria and Greenland.
“The lesson from yesterday is, if you do this resolution, the administration has to work really hard to avoid losing the vote, and they are willing to make commitments and do things that they otherwise wouldn’t have done in order to get people to not vote for public debate about their military plans,” Kaine told reporters.
“The lesson that I learned from this is these resolutions actually have an effect on White House behavior, and so you’re going to see more filed,” he added.
Meanwhile, Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who co-sponsored Kaine’s Venezuela resolution, said his position is generally the same regardless of which country is being threatened with war.
“I’m at the same place I’ve always been, which is that the Constitution says that Congress initiates or declares war,” Paul said when asked about his thoughts on further war powers measures after Wednesday’s setback. “I have the same opinion with all of the different areas that have been suggested that we might invade, which is that if you want to do it lawfully, you have to come to Congress.”
The GOP point of order raised against the Venezuela resolution hinged on an argument that since there are no U.S. troops in Venezuela right now, there are not active “hostilities” and the so expedited procedures in the War Powers Resolution law don’t apply.
That means similar efforts regarding countries that have yet to be invaded could face a similar hurdle. But Kaine brushed off the prospect that future efforts could be derailed by similar points of order.
“Everybody knows what that point of order vote was about. It was really a vote on the substance,” he said. “People are going to be held accountable for that vote. So at a minimum, let people be held accountable for their position. Are you for giving this or any president a blank check to wage war wherever they want?”
Kaine said other senators have expressed interest in leading future resolutions and so he was not certain which country would be tackled next.
Eyes on Greenland
One place Trump has threatened that has garnered broad bipartisan concern is Greenland.
Still, it’s unclear if a Greenland war powers resolution would fare better than the Venezuela one.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, who supported the Venezuela resolution, said Thursday she hopes there’s no need for a Greenland resolution. She has co-sponsored a bipartisan bill to prohibit funding for military action against NATO allies’ territory, such as Greenland, and is joining a congressional delegation to Denmark on Friday to discuss the Arctic territory.
“It’s almost inconceivable that we are using the word Greenland in the same sentence as war power resolution,” she said. “My goal is to kind of dial back some of what I consider to be aggressive rhetoric, because I don’t think that that advantages the relationship that we have nor the respect for the people of Greenland and Denmark.”
Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., will also be part of the delegation to Denmark and has repeatedly spoken out in support of Greenland’s self-determination. But he said Thursday he would not support a Greenland war powers resolution at this point.
“I think it legitimizes a threat that I don’t believe is real,” Tillis told reporters.
Still, he added, “I honestly believe if there was any sort of action that looked like the goal was actually landing in Greenland and doing an illegal taking, there’d be sufficient numbers in here to pass a war powers resolution and withstand a veto.”
John M. Donnelly contributed to this report.
The post Senators plot more war powers efforts despite Venezuela setback appeared first on Roll Call.
