Five Republican Senators Join Dems On Military Authority Vote

By
Gregory McMullen
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Operation Absolute Resolve, the U.S.-led mission that resulted in the removal of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his extradition to New York to face federal charges, has been hailed by the Trump administration as a tactical masterstroke. With no American casualties, and a swift, precise execution, the operation represents the kind of muscular foreign policy Trump has long promised: fast, unapologetic, and final.

But while the mission may have succeeded abroad, it has ignited a firestorm in Washington — and this time, the political battle is inside Trump’s own party.


On Thursday morning, the Senate advanced a bipartisan resolution that would restrict the president’s ability to use military force against Venezuela without congressional approval. The resolution, spearheaded by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine and backed by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Adam Schiff, passed committee with a 52-47 vote. Most shocking? Five Republicans broke ranks with Trump to support the measure: Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young.

This rare rebuke enraged many GOP loyalists, including Sen. Lindsey Graham, who slammed the vote on Fox News:

“They’re gonna own screwing up the best chance we’ve ever had to liberate the people of Venezuela and make our country safer from drug poisoning.”

Indeed, the Trump administration’s argument is clear: Maduro is not only a tyrant, but a narco-criminal. The Department of Justice indicted him in 2020 on drug trafficking and narco-terrorism charges, accusing him of flooding the U.S. with cocaine via the so-called “Cartel of the Suns.”


From the White House’s perspective, this wasn’t a war — it was a criminal apprehension using military means. And, they argue, under Article II of the Constitution, the President has full authority to carry it out without Congress.

Trump himself did not hold back. In a Truth Social post, he tore into the dissenting Republicans:

“Republicans should be ashamed… Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again.”

He called the vote “stupid,” “shameful,” and a threat to American self-defense and national security, blasting the War Powers Act as unconstitutional — a stance echoed by past administrations across party lines.

Yet critics of the operation argue that even successful military action requires oversight. Sen. Kaine and his co-sponsors say this isn’t about Maduro — it’s about the Constitution and the danger of unchecked executive power. They warn that any precedent allowing the president to deploy military force anywhere, at any time, without congressional consent is a threat regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

But that argument rings hollow for those who see Operation Absolute Resolve as a strategic win — one that removed a hostile drug kingpin and sent a message to tyrants and traffickers worldwide.


Now, the spotlight turns to next week, when the full Senate is expected to vote on the measure. While Thursday’s vote was a blow to the administration, the final passage is not guaranteed. The amendment process could splinter support, and Trump’s allies are gearing up for a scorched-earth counteroffensive.

Sen. John Barrasso summed up what many in the GOP base are thinking:

“This body is being asked whether the President has the authority to arrest indicted criminals. Of course he does.”

The battlefield may be Venezuela. But the war — for power, precedent, and the future of U.S. foreign policy — is being fought right here at home.

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