The United States Senate held a procedural vote on the 8th, deciding to advance a bipartisan resolution aimed at restricting President Trump from taking further military action against Venezuela without congressional authorization.
The procedural vote result was 52 in favor and 47 against; five Republican senators voted in favor. The Senate is expected to hold a formal vote on the resolution next week.
Rand Paul, a Republican senator who helped initiate the resolution, said before the vote: "Bombing another country’s capital and taking away its president is undoubtedly an act of war."
According to U.S. media reports, the House of Representatives will hold a similar vote later this month. If the resolution passes both chambers, it will be sent to Trump for his signature.
After the vote, Trump posted on social media, criticizing Paul and the other Republican senators who voted in favor, threatening that they "should never be allowed to hold public office again," and claimed the resolution was "unconstitutional." He said the vote "seriously hinders America's self-defense and national security, and weakens the president’s power as commander-in-chief."
Trump angrily called his fellow Republican senators in the Senate stupid and said they "should be ashamed". He also criticized the 'War Powers Act' itself as unconstitutional, and hinted he would use his "presidential veto" to resist the resolution.
However, it is widely believed that the resolution is more symbolic than substantive. Analysts point out that the resolution is certain to face strong opposition in the House of Representatives, and with Trump likely to exercise his veto power, the chances of it taking effect are not high.