The United States (US) Senate has rejected legislation that would have required President Donald Trump to seek congressional approval before attacking Venezuela.
On November 6, the Senate voted 51-49, with only two Republicans joining Democrats in support of the measure.
During the heated debate that preceded the vote, lawmakers clashed over presidential war powers and the need for congressional oversight in decisions involving military action.
Democrats warned the operations could escalate into a broader conflict, arguing Congress must have a say before the U.S. goes to war.
However, the republicans defended Trump’s actions, saying they protect Americans from lethal narcotics, while critics suggest the strikes may be aimed at regime change in Venezuela.
This comes amid a U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, following strikes on vessels the U.S. claimed were involved in drug trafficking—attacks that have reportedly killed at least 65 people.
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US Attacks on Boats
On November 2, U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced another deadly strike on a boat accused of trafficking drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
The same day an American aircraft carrier began moving toward the region as part of an expanded military buildup.
Hegseth said the strike killed two people aboard the vessel, raising the death toll from the Trump administration’s operations in South American waters to at least 66 across 16 attacks.
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Digging Out Drug Cartels
President Donald Trump defended the campaign, claiming the United States is in “armed conflict” with drug cartels and labeling suspected smugglers as “unlawful combatants
“We will find and terminate every vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens,” Hegseth wrote.
Lawmakers from both parties have since demanded details on the targets and the legal basis for the strikes, noting that Congress has not authorized military action.
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Türk, also urged the administration to halt the attacks and prevent what he described as “extrajudicial killings” of people aboard the boats.
The US military has carried out 17 known strikes against boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific since September, killing at least 70 people.
In several briefings to Congress, administration officials have acknowledged that they do not necessarily know the individual identities of each person on board a vessel before they attack it.
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