Schumer says Senate will vote on Venezuela authorization ‘this week’

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said he expects the Senate to vote on whether to formally authorize the Trump administration’s military actions in Venezuela when members return to Washington this week.

The New York Democrat said he is co-sponsoring a resolution that would block the president from taking further actions in Venezuela following the U.S. strikes there as part of an operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who is being detained in a federal prison in New York. Schumer said the administration, which did not notify Congress ahead of the attack, violated the War Powers Act.

“They did not just do ships off the water. They went inside Venezuela, bombed civilian as well as military places. And it's a violation of the law to do what they did without getting the authorization of Congress,” Schumer said in an interview on ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Several Democratic lawmakers — and some Republicans — criticized the Trump administration for failing to seek authorization of use of military force from Congress ahead of the Venezuela operation, as required by law. Schumer said Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine (Va.) and Republican Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) are also co-sponsoring the resolution.

Though the vote in the Senate will take place after Saturday’s attack, it would require Trump to get approval from Congress for future attacks in Venezuela.

“It's going to come to the floor this week,” Schumer said. “And if it is voted for, if it's voted positively in both houses, then the president can't do another thing in Venezuela without the OK of Congress. We have to pass it.”

Democrats would need at least three additional Republican senators besides Paul to back the resolution for it to pass — putting pressure on Trump’s allies in the Senate to support the military action. Republicans have largely praised Trump’s action, including those from the MAGA wing of the party who have urged the U.S. to withdraw from military engagements overseas.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries echoed Schumer’s support for taking up a resolution on use of the military in Venezuela, but didn’t offer details on when a vote in the House might occur.

“We have to make sure when we return to Washington, D.C., that legislative action is taken to ensure that no further military steps occur absent explicit congressional approval,” Jeffries told NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday.