The Senate on Thursday voted 52-47 to block President Donald Trump from further military action in Venezuela.
The move came less than a week after Trump authorized a strike that captured the country’s leader, Nicolás Maduro.
The measure, known as a War Powers Resolution, only needed a simple majority to pass in the Republican-controlled Senate and would require Trump to seek the approval of Congress before using the U.S. military again in Venezuela. The measure was brought by Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky.
The vote in the Senate was procedural, but it indicates that the measure has the votes to pass when it comes to a final vote in the Senate. It would then go to the House, where Republicans have a razor-thin majority.
“Make no mistake, bombing another nation’s capital and removing their leader is an act of war plain and simple. No provision in the Constitution provides such power to the presidency,” Paul said in a statement.
