Asked whether Congress would do anything—literally anything—to limit Donald Trump’s power to wage war after he ordered military strikes on Venezuela without their approval, Senator Lindsey Graham gave a one-word answer: “No.”
That’s it. That’s the story. The President of the United States is bombing foreign countries, threatening to invade more, and openly talking about using military force to seize territory from a NATO ally—and the Republican-controlled Congress has zero interest in exercising its constitutional authority to check him.
WHAT’S GOING ON: Trump ordered strikes on Caracas to kidnap Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, then declared the U.S. will “run” Venezuela. He’s kept the door open to ground troops.
And he’s not stopping there—threatening a “second wave” on Venezuela if its next leaders don’t “behave,” warning that “Colombia is very sick, too,” declaring “Cuba is ready to fall,” threatening to hit Iran “very hard,” and reiterating his desire to annex Greenland, mocking Denmark’s defenses by saying they “added one more dogsled.”
The White House’s response to whether military force is on the table for Greenland? Press secretary Karoline Leavitt said “of course, utilizing the U.S. Military is always an option at the Commander in Chief’s disposal.”
BUT BUT BUT: The Constitution is pretty clear, Congress declares war. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 exists specifically to prevent presidents from unilaterally dragging the country into conflicts.
Senator Tim Kaine is trying to force a vote on a resolution to restrain Trump’s Venezuela actions, calling them flat-out “illegal.”
“Only Congress can declare war,” Kaine said on the Senate floor. “The administration has advanced no credible legal basis, under American or international law, to invade Venezuela, depose its leadership, seize its oil and run the country.”
OF COURSE: Republicans who control both chambers aren’t interested.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Jim Risch declined to say whether Trump would need permission to put troops in Venezuela: “I don’t want to engage on that conversation right now.”
Senator John Kennedy said he has “a squillion questions” but refused three times to say whether Congress would need to approve ground troops.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, asked about Greenland, said “I don’t see military action being an option there”—hours before the White House confirmed that, yes, it absolutely is.
Even Senator Josh Hawley, who said he’s “not sold” on what Trump is doing, couldn’t commit to congressional oversight: “I need to hear from them.”
WHY IT MATTERS: The U.S. has allies around the world alarmed about where this is heading. And domestically, the constitutional guardrails meant to prevent one person from unilaterally launching wars are being treated as suggestions.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats have convinced some Republicans to support a new war powers resolution, “but not enough.”
“They don’t have any plans. You can’t do things that way,” Schumer said. “And so war powers act is extremely, extremely important.”
The Republican position, in essence: The president can bomb whoever he wants, threaten whoever he wants, and maybe use military force to annex foreign territory—and Congress will just watch.