Senate aims to curb Trump's power of war

The US Senate passed a resolution 52-47 on Thursday to allow a debate aimed at curbing US President Donald Trump from using military force within or against Venezuela without congressional approval.

This procedural vote opened the door to a debate expected for next week that would force Trump to seek congressional authorization for any continued military operations in Venezuela.

The resolution was initiated by Senator Tim Kaine, a Democrat from Virginia, and was co-sponsored by Republican Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky, Democratic Senator Adam Schiff from California and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer from New York.

"Instead of responding to Americans' concerns about the affordability crisis, President Trump started a war with Venezuela that is profoundly disrespectful to US troops, deeply unpopular, suspiciously secretive and likely corrupt. How is that 'America First?'" Kaine asked. "Trump's war is also clearly illegal because this military action was ordered without the congressional authorization the Constitution requires."

"How can the American people watch this and not just groan and grimace and ache and fear?" Schumer said. "When America has tried to do this kind of nation building, this kind of regime replacement in the past, it's led to the American people paying the price in treasure and in blood."

Five Republicans voted for the resolution along with all the Democrats, and Trump slammed them by calling their acts "stupid".

"Republicans should be ashamed of the Senators that just voted with Democrats in attempting to take away our Powers to fight and defend the United States of America. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again," Trump wrote on Truth Social. "This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President's Authority as Commander in Chief."

Trump doesn't want to be constricted by Congress. In an interview with The New York Times on Wednesday, Trump declared that his power as commander in chief is constrained only by his "own morality."

"I don't need international law," he told NYT. "I'm not looking to hurt people."

Trump's military strike last weekend to seize Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and bring him to the US has prompted widespread opposition in the US. People are concerned over its implications for international stability and unfavorable consequences for the US.

Tom Watkins, a former school superintendent in Michigan and a business and education consultant, said Jan 3 is "a day that will live in infamy".

With a life-long interest in China-US relations, Watkins told China Daily that the military is strike is not about drug trafficking.

"It is about regime change, power, money, oil and deflecting attention away from American citizens being squeezed economically along with the shady release of the Epstein sex files," he said.

Watkins said that Trump is not simply bending international norms, "he is destroying them."

The strike on Venezuela is a grave matter, according to Watkins. "Global order is being turned on its head. Leaders around the world are learning we are living in an era of no consequences for aggression. The rules based international order has been shredded. Time will tell how the pieces will be rearranged."

The military strike on Venezuela immediately sparked protests around the country.

"We're going to keep fighting, we're going to keep organizing, we're going to keep educating our people about the reality of the situation," Rachel Domond told a local TV station last Sunday during a protest in Houston, Texas. "Because again, a war doesn't benefit anybody except for politicians, wealthy politicians, and oil executives and whatnot, not working-class people."

In Seattle, Washington, protest organizer Taylor Young told a local TV station that Venezuela's "sovereignty and self-determination has been violated by our government using our tax dollars."

mayzhou@chinadailyusa.com