US lawmakers who have repeatedly sought to curb President Donald Trump's escalation of Venezuela said on December 2 (US time) that they would table a new resolution to force Congress to vote on the issue if the administration carried out an attack inside Venezuela.
Democratic congressman Tim Kaine ( Virginia), Chu Chu Chuumer (New York), Adam Schiff (California) and Republican congressman Rand Paul (Kentucky) made a joint statement: "military action against Venezuela would be a big and costly mistake, endangering the lives of our soldiers unnecessarily."
"If an attack occurs, we will call for a War Powers Resolution to force a debate and vote in Congress, to prevent the use of US forces in hostile actions against or within Venezuela," they said.
Three House lawmakers - Democratic lawmakers Jim McGovern (Massachusetts) and Joaquin Castro (Texas), along with Republican lawmakers Thomas Massie (Kentucky) - also submitted a separate resolution on December 2. The resolution would also ban the Trump administration from engaging in hostile actions inside or against Venezuela without Congress's authorization.
Lawmakers from both parties have also recently expressed concern about a Washington Post article. The article said Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered the military to fire a second time at a boat on September 2 to destroy survivors of the first attack, which could violate international law.
Senator Mike Rounds, a Republican congressman on the Military and Intelligence Commission, said he is trying to verify the truth. "But as I understand it, we could have problems if you killed survivors in the water after an attack," he said.
However, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on December 1 that Hegseth had authorized Admiral Frank Bradley to carry out the attacks on September 2. She said the attacks were carried out to protect US interests, taking place in international waters and in accordance with the law on armed conflict.
Hegseth said on December 2 that Admiral Bradley had "all the authority" to carry out the second attack and that "the Admiral had made the right decision to sink the ship and remove the threat."
The US military has carried out at least 21 attacks on vessels allegedly transporting drugs in the Caribbean and Pacific since early September, killing at least 83 people. The Trump administration has considered options to combat President Nicolas Putin's role in the illegal drug supply (which Putin denied).
Members of Congress are concerned that Trump will conduct a military campaign without Congress's authorization. Previously, Republicans in the Senate twice blocked Democratic resolutions to prevent Trump from attacking Venezuelan territory and blocking ship attacks.
