Sen. Tim Kaine is again attempting to pass legislation to prevent the Trump administration from going to war with Venezuela without congressional approval.
The Virginia Democrat, along with Sens. Adam Schiff, D.-Calif. and Rand Paul, R-Ky., introduced a War Powers Resolution on Oct. 17 to block the U.S. military from engaging in hostilities “within or against Venezuela.” The resolution followed a New York Times report that Trump authorized covert CIA actions and is considering strikes within the South American country.
“I’m extremely troubled that the Trump Administration is considering launching illegal military strikes inside Venezuela without a specific authorization by Congress,” Kaine said in a statement. “Americans don’t want to send their sons and daughters into more wars — especially wars that carry a serious risk of significant destabilization and massive new waves of migration in our hemisphere.”
The New York Times reported Tuesday that Trump is weighing his options to conduct military action in Venezuela. His aides have reportedly sought legal justifications for actions beyond striking boats off the coast. Such guidance could provide a rationale for targeting President Nicolás Maduro without needing congressional authorization, the Times noted.
Several Hampton Roads-based vessels have been deployed to the waters near Venezuela. On Oct. 24, defense secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the Caribbean, marking the largest escalation in the region to date.
In August, the Norfolk-based USS Gravely departed for the Caribbean. The guided-missile destroyer reportedly left Trinidad and Tobago on Friday, adding additional pressure to the Caribbean operation.
Additionally, the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit departed from Naval Station Norfolk in August, heading for the Caribbean.
Kaine, Schiff and Paul introduced the resolution a week after a War Powers Resolution from Kaine and Schiff to block the use of U.S. armed forces in the Southern Caribbean Sea failed to gain support from Senate Republicans. The initial resolution was introduced in response to the unauthorized strikes on boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific Ocean.
“Americans want fewer wars — not more — and our Constitution clearly grants Congress alone the power to declare one,” Kaine said in a statement after the resolution failed. “Yet President Trump has repeatedly launched illegal military strikes in the Caribbean and has refused to provide Congress with basic information about who was killed, why the strikes were necessary, and why a standard interdiction operation wasn’t conducted.”
The defense department has not identified the people killed in those attacks. Two survivors, an Ecuadorian national and a Colombian national, were sent home without being prosecuted by the U.S. No reports have been made of drugs being recovered from the boats.
On Friday, U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, relaying a message via a spokesperson, said that he believes the strikes violate international human rights law.
“These attacks and their mounting human cost are unacceptable. The U.S. must halt such attacks and take all measures necessary to prevent the extrajudicial killing of people aboard these boats,” Türk said.
Last week, the top official at the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, T. Elliot Gaiser, advised certain congresspeople that the boat strikes did not rise to “hostilities” and therefore are not subject to the time limit for hostilities set by the War Powers Act. The Vietnam-era act was created to curb presidential power over armed conflict without the approval of Congress and provides a 60-day window for military action to cease without a congressional vote.
According to the Washington Post, an unnamed senior White House official claimed that U.S. military personnel are not in danger because the operations are being conducted via drone strikes far from the Navy vessels where troops are located.
Kaine, who is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Tuesday that he had not seen the Justice Department opinion, as it was only shared with a limited group of senators.
“The Trump Administration must share (the opinion) with the full Senate, and must brief the full Senate regarding its intentions in the Caribbean and for Venezuela,” Kaine said in a statement. “I remain concerned about the Trump Administration’s lack of transparency regarding ongoing operations (in the) Caribbean and Pacific, the buildup of troops in the region, and the Administration’s refusal to answer questions regarding the legal authority to conduct strikes.”
In a “60 Minutes” interview Sunday, Trump suggested that while he “doubt(s)” the U.S. will go to war with Venezuela, he didn’t rule out strikes inside the country.
When asked why the Ford had been sent to the Caribbean, Trump said, “It’s gotta be somewhere. It’s a big one,” Trump said.
War Powers Resolutions are privileged, meaning Congress is required to promptly consider and vote on the resolution. The latest one will come up for a vote as early as this week.
Emma Rose Brown, 757-805-2256, emma.brown@virginiamedia.com
https://www.pilotonline.com/2025/11/04/kaine-war-powers-resolution/
