Kaine, Schumer & Schiff Applaud Senate Advancement of Bipartisan War Powers Resolution to Prevent Illegal War with Venezuela

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY), and U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) applauded the Senate's advancement by a 52-47 vote of their bipartisan War Powers Resolution to block the use of the U.S. Armed Forces to engage in hostilities within or against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. The Senate is expected to continue voting on the measure next week.

"Maduro's arrest is good for the U.S. and Venezuela. If President Trump had left this at his arrest, I wouldn't have called up this vote. But the President's claims that the U.S. will run Venezuela for years makes it clear that his plans go way beyond Maduro," said Kaine, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere. "This war is clearly illegal because it was launched without the debate and vote by Congress the Constitution requires. With today's vote-after months of congressional leadership refusing to hold a single public hearing about this war-the Senate sends a clear message: we will not accept that. Now, the Senate moves closer to actually debating the merits of military action in Venezuela in full view of the American public. Every senator needs to go on the record."

"For months, the Trump administration has dodged accountability and obfuscated their intention and plans in the Caribbean and Venezuela. Now Congress has taken a concrete step to stop Trump's folly and reassert their constitutional authority in foreign conflicts," said Leader Schumer. "Donald Trump seems content to drag our country and American families into an endless war with no plan, no transparency, and nothing but wishful thinking. But today, Democrats and Republicans came together to begin to stop this madness and advance the War Powers Resolution."

"Today, the U.S. Senate took an important and bipartisan step in exercising its constitutional war powers and putting constraints on further military action in Venezuela," said Schiff. "Now, we can advance a critical and full debate on the Senate floor. The progress of this War Powers resolution to the full Senate, reflects the Senate's deep concern over the Administration's plans to 'run' Venezuela and profit off its oil industry. If the administration believes it is the country's interest to deploy service members to secure the oil resources of another country, it should seek Congressional authorization to do so. We have all too much experience in getting mired down in foreign exercises in regime change and nation building, and the American people want us to focus on problems at home."

###