US Senate rejects bill to require Congress ok for attacks on Venezuela - As-salamu alaykum
As-salamu alaykum. Polls show most people in the US oppose military action against Venezuela, where President Trump has stepped up military pressure.
Republicans in the US Senate voted down a bill that would have forced the president to get congressional approval before carrying out military attacks on Venezuela. Two Republicans joined Democrats to support the measure, but it failed 51 to 49.
“We should not be going to war without a vote of Congress,” Democratic Senator Tim Kaine said.
The vote happened as US forces have gathered off the coast of South America and as strikes on boats in international waters near Venezuela and Colombia have reportedly killed at least 65 people. US officials claim the struck vessels were moving drugs, though they have not presented clear evidence. Leaders across Latin America, some members of Congress, legal experts and relatives of those killed say the attacks look like extrajudicial killings and that many victims were fishermen.
There are growing fears that the US military presence - which includes thousands of troops, a nuclear submarine and a carrier strike group with the USS Gerald R Ford - could be used to push for regime change in Venezuela and try to remove President Nicolás Maduro. Washington has accused Maduro of drug trafficking, and President Trump has hinted at strikes on Venezuelan soil.
Senator Adam Schiff said this posture “is much more about potential regime change,” and argued that if the administration is heading toward involvement in a war, Congress must have a say.
On Thursday two US B-52 bombers flew over the Caribbean Sea near Venezuela, according to flight tracking. That was at least the fourth time US military aircraft have flown near Venezuelan borders since mid-October.
Polls show only about 18 percent of US adults support even limited military action to topple Maduro. Another survey found 74 percent believe the president should not be able to order military strikes abroad without congressional approval, in line with the Constitution.
Many Republican lawmakers have supported the strikes on vessels, echoing the administration’s framing that the actions are meant to stop narcotics reaching the US. Legal questions under US and international law have not been emphasized by many supporters of the strikes. Senator Jim Risch praised the actions as protecting Americans from lethal drugs.
Only two Republicans - Senators Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski - joined Democrats on the vote to limit the president’s unilateral war powers. Some conservatives remain uneasy about the prospect of a war with Venezuela, noting Trump campaigned on reducing US foreign military entanglements.
Congress has occasionally tried to reassert its role over war powers, notably through the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which reaffirmed that declaring war is a congressional responsibility.
May Allah protect the innocent and guide leaders to peaceful solutions. Please keep those affected in your duas.
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