Kaine plans to move war powers resolution ‘immediately’ should there be any military action in Venezuela
Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said on Sunday he plans to refile a war powers resolution requiring congressional approval for any military action taken in Venezuela.
In an interview on CBS News’s “Face the Nation,” the senator said he is optimistic that his resolution would get more support from Republicans in Congress this time around, noting the recent buildup of military forces in the region and other signs that military action could be imminent.
“I do believe the numbers will change,” Kaine said about support for the war powers resolution.
He noted the previous resolution “failed, but that was before all of these assets have amassed around Venezuela, and before President Trump said that the airspace needs to be closed.”
“I will move with colleagues, Senator Schumer, Senator Paul, Senator Schiff, immediately should there be military action,” Kaine added, referring to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.).
Kaine noted he also put forward a resolution seeking to halt the Trump administration’s strikes on alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific, which Kaine called “illegal.”
He noted that “the circumstances have changed in the months since we had that vote,” pointing to a Washington Post report alleging Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth gave an order to “kill everybody” aboard an alleged drug boat in September, prompting the commander in charge to order a second strike on the boat after the initial strike left two survivors.
“In each of these instances, we were able to get two Republicans to vote together with Democrats,” Kaine said.
“We think the escalating pace and some of the recent revelations — so, for example, the recent revelation about the ‘kill everyone’ order, apparently dictated by Secretary Hegseth — we do believe that we will get more support for these motions when they are refiled,” he continued.
Kaine said the incident described in the Post’s reporting “rises to the level of a war crime if it’s true.”
Hegseth denied the reporting on Friday, calling it “fake news” and insisting that the U.S. military’s strikes against alleged drug-smuggling boats, which have taken place in both the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, are “lawful.”
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