Two Republican senators who had previously cast votes advancing the war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), and co-sponsored by Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), thought better of it Wednesday and voted in support of a point of order against the resolution. The vote was 51-50, with Vice President JD being the tie-breaker in his role as President of the Senate.
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Todd Young (R-IN) made headlines last week when they, along with Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), and the aforementioned Paul, helped advance the resolution in the Senate by a vote of 52-47. The resolution sought to limit President Trump’s ability to use U.S. military force against Venezuela in the future without first getting Congressional approval.
Kaine introduced the resolution following the successful joint operation by the U.S. military and law enforcement to capture former Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and bring him to the U.S. to face criminal charges. (RedState’s Susie Moore did a masterful job laying out the criminal case here.)
Here’s a taste of what powers the resolution would have provided Congress:
(1) Congress has the sole power to declare war under article I, section 8, clause 11 of the United States Constitution.
(2) Congress has not yet declared war upon Venezuela or any person or organization within Venezuela, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for use of military force within or against Venezuela.
(3) United States Armed Forces actions within or against Venezuela, within the meaning of section 4(a) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1543(a)), are either hostilities or a situation where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances into which United States Armed Forces have been introduced.
In the wake of last week’s defections by the five GOP senators, the president was reportedly irate and began placing phone calls to the defectors. One phone call was apparently quite heated, as Trump went on a “profanity-laced” rant at Collins. The president also posted to Truth Social that the five “should never be elected to office again.”
SEE ALSO: Trump Enraged As 5 GOP Senators Join Dems on Vote to Limit His Military Authority in Venezuela
The pressure from the White House clearly worked as Vice President Vance teed things up by helping to block debate on the resolution, and Hawley and Young fell into line with most of their Republican colleagues to stop the resolution dead in its tracks. (Collins, Murkowski, and Paul did not vote with their party.)
51-50: Vice President JD Vance cast his eighth tie-breaking vote against the Senate beginning debate on a war powers resolution to block future military action against Venezuela. Republicans Hawley & Young, who voted Yes last week to advance the resolution, voted today in favor… pic.twitter.com/DE17adF1be
— Craig Caplan (@CraigCaplan) January 14, 2026
51-50: Vice President JD Vance cast his eighth tie-breaking vote against the Senate beginning debate on a war powers resolution to block future military action against Venezuela. Republicans Hawley & Young, who voted Yes last week to advance the resolution, voted today in favor of blocking it. Rs Collins, Murkowski & Paul voted No with all Democrats.
Hawley said he changed his mind after receiving a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio assuring him that there are currently no U.S. troops on the ground in Venezuela and if the administration sought to put any there, “they would come to Congress for congressional authorization.”
Young said in a statement, “After numerous conversations with senior national security officials, I have received assurances that there are no American troops in Venezuela. I’ve also received a commitment that if President Trump were to determine American forces are needed in major military operations in Venezuela, the Administration will come to Congress in advance to ask for an authorization of force.”
The war powers resolution is now dead in the water, but you can be sure the Democrats will try to revive it the moment they think Trump is going to make a move without their permission.
Editor’s Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
Help us continue to expose their left-wing bias by reading news you can trust. Join RedState VIP and use promo code FIGHT to get 60% off your membership.
