House Democrats Unite to Block Trump's Potential War with Venezuela
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, US lawmakers in the House of Representatives have introduced a resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from taking military action against Venezuela. The move comes as tensions between Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro continue to escalate.
The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, would prohibit Trump from launching hostilities within or against Venezuela without congressional approval. A similar measure in the Senate failed to pass last month due to opposition from Republican senators.
However, with some Republicans now co-sponsoring the bill, lawmakers are hopeful that it may have a better chance at passing. The move is seen as a clear message to Trump and his allies that Congress will not support any reckless march to war without a thorough debate and vote.
"This new bipartisan push in the House sends a clear signal to President Trump and to the war hawks around him that Congress is prepared to stand against any reckless march to war," said Cavan Kharrazian, a senior policy adviser at Demand Progress. "I think even the prospect of members being subject to a public, on-the-record vote on whether to block a new war carries significant political weight and can help deter escalation."
The move comes as opposition to Trump's actions in Venezuela has grown significantly. A recent CBS News poll found that Americans oppose taking military action in Venezuela by a 70-30 margin.
Despite the bipartisan support for the resolution, there is still a risk that it may come too late to prevent Trump from acting against Venezuela. The House legislation starts a 15-day clock during which McGovern can attempt to force a floor vote.
Meanwhile, a similar measure was introduced last month by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York aimed at blocking further boat strikes in Venezuela. The resolution is set to be ready for a floor vote by mid-December.
Trump's aggressive stance towards Maduro has been met with criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. However, some lawmakers have been accused of being too soft on the issue.
As tensions between Trump and Maduro continue to escalate, one thing is clear: Congress will not stand idly by while the president pursues a course of action that could lead to war without adequate debate and oversight.
In a rare display of bipartisan cooperation, US lawmakers in the House of Representatives have introduced a resolution aimed at blocking President Donald Trump from taking military action against Venezuela. The move comes as tensions between Trump and Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro continue to escalate.
The resolution, sponsored by Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, would prohibit Trump from launching hostilities within or against Venezuela without congressional approval. A similar measure in the Senate failed to pass last month due to opposition from Republican senators.
However, with some Republicans now co-sponsoring the bill, lawmakers are hopeful that it may have a better chance at passing. The move is seen as a clear message to Trump and his allies that Congress will not support any reckless march to war without a thorough debate and vote.
"This new bipartisan push in the House sends a clear signal to President Trump and to the war hawks around him that Congress is prepared to stand against any reckless march to war," said Cavan Kharrazian, a senior policy adviser at Demand Progress. "I think even the prospect of members being subject to a public, on-the-record vote on whether to block a new war carries significant political weight and can help deter escalation."
The move comes as opposition to Trump's actions in Venezuela has grown significantly. A recent CBS News poll found that Americans oppose taking military action in Venezuela by a 70-30 margin.
Despite the bipartisan support for the resolution, there is still a risk that it may come too late to prevent Trump from acting against Venezuela. The House legislation starts a 15-day clock during which McGovern can attempt to force a floor vote.
Meanwhile, a similar measure was introduced last month by Democratic Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York aimed at blocking further boat strikes in Venezuela. The resolution is set to be ready for a floor vote by mid-December.
Trump's aggressive stance towards Maduro has been met with criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. However, some lawmakers have been accused of being too soft on the issue.
As tensions between Trump and Maduro continue to escalate, one thing is clear: Congress will not stand idly by while the president pursues a course of action that could lead to war without adequate debate and oversight.
... Trump's been making some pretty tough moves with Venezuela, and it's good to see Democrats coming together to block any potential war 
. I think this bipartisan effort is a huge step forward - we need more of that kind of cooperation on the Hill 
. The fact that even a majority of Americans (70-30) are against taking military action in Venezuela tells us something 
... it's time for Trump to listen and consider other options, rather than rushing into war without careful consideration 
. Fingers crossed this resolution passes and we can avoid another disastrous conflict 
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. While it's great to see some Republicans co-sponsoring the bill, I worry that it might be too little, too late 
. The fact remains that Trump has a history of disregarding international law and norms when he deems it necessary 
. A 15-day clock for McGovern to force a floor vote is barely enough time to gather momentum 
. What's more concerning is the lack of meaningful consequences for Trump if this bill fails 
. Will Congress really hold him accountable, or will he just find another way around it? 
and don't even get me started on how ridiculous it is that some republicans are actually backing him up, like what are they even thinking?! 
we need more bipartisan support for this resolution ASAP so trump can't do his thing without being held accountable. 70-30 margin in cbs news poll means most americans are against war too, if not more! 
Trump needs to get his facts straight and stop being all aggressive and stuff. And yeah, bipartisan cooperation is always a good thing... eventually. It's about time they stopped playing politics and got the job done. Those war hawks need to chill out before things escalate into something big. The fact that some Republicans are now co-sponsoring this resolution just shows how far gone Trump's supporters are. Anyway, I guess it's better late than never... now let's see if they can actually make something happen with this legislation! 
. The fact that some Republicans are co-sponsoring this bill is huge – it shows they're not completely on board with Trump's Venezuela agenda 
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. I mean, we've seen him do it before, and he doesn't care about checks and balances when it comes to his ego 
. Still, it's a good start, and I hope the resolution passes soon – we need some much-needed oversight around here 
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Trump's aggressive stance on Venezuela has been super concerning, and I think it's awesome that lawmakers are finally standing up to him