On Thursday, Eastern Time, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution that would prohibit President Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
However, the bill is likely to face obstacles in the House of Representatives. Trump has stated that U.S. "oversight" of Venezuela could continue for several years.
Senators pass resolution limiting war powers
The Senate passed a procedural measure by a vote of 52 to 47 to advance the war powers resolution. During this process, some of Trump's Republican colleagues, like all Democrats, voted in favor of the resolution.
However, this Senate-passed bill faces a major hurdle in becoming law: it needs to pass the House of Representatives—which is primarily controlled by the Republican Party led by Trump.
Even if both houses pass the resolution, the bill could still be vetoed by Trump—unless it receives a two-thirds majority in each house to bypass a potential veto. If this happens, it would mark a rare instance of congressional Republicans resisting Trump.
Trump posted on social media: "Republicans should be ashamed of the senators who voted with Democrats to try to strip us of our power to defend and protect America."
"Oversight" will continue for several years.
In an interview on Thursday, Eastern Time, Trump said that the United States could “monitor” Venezuela and control its oil revenues for years.
Trump stated, "Only time will tell how long the United States will dominate Venezuela."
When asked whether the process would last three months, six months, a year, or longer, Trump replied, "I would say it would last longer."
“We will rebuild it in a very favorable way,” Trump said of Venezuela.
Trump also stated that the United States is "getting along very well" with the government led by Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodriguez, a long-time supporter of Maduro and former vice president of Venezuela.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan interim president Rodriguez said on Thursday that a large number of foreign and domestic prisoners would be released that day. Rodriguez stated that these releases were a peaceful gesture, following repeated demands from the country's political opposition, adding that the action was unilateral and not agreed upon with any other parties.
Trump plans to meet with the heads of major oil companies at the White House on Friday to discuss ways to increase Venezuelan oil production. Representatives from the three largest U.S. oil companies—ExxonMobil, ConocoPhillips, and Chevron—will attend the meeting, according to a source familiar with the arrangements.
