The Democratic leader in the Senate, Chuck Schumer, threatened Monday to bring a war powers resolution to a vote in Congress to try to limit U.S. military deployment in the Caribbean, if President Donald Trump "continues with his actions against Venezuela."
"If Donald Trump continues with his actions against Venezuela, we will immediately introduce a War Powers Resolution to block the deployment of U.S. forces in Venezuela," Schumer wrote on the social network X, adding that "the power to declare war resides solely in the hands of Congress, not Donald Trump."
A war powers resolution requires a simple majority in both chambers of the legislature for approval, though it can later be vetoed by the president. To override such a veto would then require a two-thirds vote in the House of Representatives and the Senate, both currently held by narrow Republican majorities.
"Trump appears to be planning a totally secret war. Without Congressional authorization. Without transparency. Without explanation. Americans do not want another forever war, and Trump does not have the authority to send our troops to war without our approval," reads another of the many messages Schumer has posted on X.
Schumer's statements come at a time marked by an increase in Washington's rhetorical pressure on Caracas, which has deployed a massive military contingent to the Caribbean since the summer. This includes messages from Trump warning pilots and airlines that they must consider Venezuelan airspace completely closed.
In another post, the Democratic minority leader in the Upper Chamber noted that The Washington Post reported last week that in a September U.S. military airstrike on a suspected drug-trafficking boat, a second attack was carried out to kill two survivors of the initial strike.
The newspaper indicated the order was given by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth—allegations Congress will analyze to determine if they constitute a war crime.
"The Department of Defense (the former name of the department Hegseth leads) has the recordings that show exactly what happened during these attacks, and Hegseth has an obligation to release them now," added Schumer. In another message, he criticized a sarcastic-toned cartoon that the Secretary of War shared on X when the news was published.
"I have never seen anyone so unserious, so childish, and so obviously insecure as Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth. He is a national embarrassment," concluded the senator, referencing the drawing, which depicts a turtle firing on suspected drug boats from a helicopter, designed to resemble a children's storybook cover. (CubaSí)