Republicans in the United States Senate have voted down legislation that would have required US President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval for any military attacks on Venezuela.
Two Republicans had crossed the political aisle and joined Democrats to vote in favour of the legislation on Thursday, but their support was not enough to secure passage, and the bill failed to pass by 51 to 49 votes.
The vote comes amid a US military build-up off South America and a series of military strikes targeting vessels in international waters off Venezuela and Colombia that have killed at least 65 people.
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The US Senate has rejected a resolution to block President Donald Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, according to a live broadcast of the session by C-SPAN.
ReplyDeleteAs many as 49 senators backed the resolution, and 51 voted against; a majority was needed for it to pass.
The document points out that "Congress has the sole power to declare war." "Congress has not declared war upon, nor enacted a specific statutory authorization for use of military force against, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, nor any transnational criminal organizations," the document notes.
CNN reported on Thursday, citing sources, that "the Trump administration is seeking a separate legal opinion from the Justice Department that would provide a justification for launching strikes against land targets without needing to ask Congress to authorize military force."
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