Democrat senators and Rand Paul file Venezuela war powers resolution

Several Democratic senators and one Republican, Rand Paul of Kentucky, filed a war powers resolution to prevent the United States from using its armed forces to engage in hostilities with Venezuela without congressional approval.

The resolution was filed by Paul and Democratic senators Tim Kaine, Va., Adam Schiff, Calif., and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, N.Y. It directs President Donald Trump to stop using the military “unless specifically authorized by a declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force,” according to The Hill.

“The American people do not want to be dragged into endless war with Venezuela without public debate or a vote,” Paul said in a statement from Kaine’s office. “We ought to defend what the Constitution demands: deliberation before war.”

Kaine criticized Trump for “risking the lives of our nation’s service members to engage in military action within Venezuela without a robust debate in Congress.”

“This is why the Framers gave the power to declare war to Congress, not the President,” he added.