Missouri Senator and MAGA ally Josh Hawley quickly took to social media to explain why he voted to block U.S. President Donald Trump from launching future attacks on Venezuela without congressional approval.
The resolution, introduced by Democratic Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia under the War Powers Act, was crafted in direct response to the Trump administration’s unilateral military actions in Venezuela that led to the capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces and several missile strikes on sites in Caracas.
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, are currently in U.S. custody in Brooklyn, NY, awaiting trial on charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation, and weapons offenses tied to alleged state-sponsored drug trafficking networks that supplied cocaine into the United States, alongside other corruption and violence allegations.
In his speech to the Senate, Kaine stated, “After the administration’s actions over the weekend, which resulted in several injuries to US service members … Congress needs to tell the American public where it stands.”
The measure passed the Senate 52–47, with Hawley being among the few Republicans to vote for the resolution, and now heads to the House of Representatives. Hawley, a longtime ally of President Trump’s, explained his reasoning for voting on it on social media, writing, “…my read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it. That’s why I voted yes on this morning’s Senate resolution.”
With regard to Venezuela, my read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it. That’s why I voted yes on this morning’s Senate resolution.
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 8, 2026
Four other Republicans supported the resolution, including Sen. Todd Young of Indiana, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
While the resolution doesn’t reverse any previous actions taken towards Venezuela, it’s designed to limit the executive branch’s ability to unilaterally expand U.S. military involvement. That includes potential future actions that would move beyond targeted strikes on alleged drug-smuggling boats.
President Trump has denounced the resolution and stated that the GOP senators who supported it “should be ashamed.” On his social media platform, Truth Social, he accused the Senate action of undermining national security and impeding his authority as commander in chief, declaring that those who voted for it “should never be elected to office again.”
Despite its advancement in the Senate, the resolution could die in the Republican-controlled House, as previous attempts to rein in military actions toward Venezuela have failed in the House. Even if the House were to pass the measure, President Trump has indicated he would veto it.
