Senate advances S.J.Res.98 52-47, requiring congressional approval for further Venezuela military action

The Senate votes 52-47 to advance S.J.Res.98, a joint resolution requiring the president to obtain congressional authorization before conducting further military operations in Venezuela. Five Republicans — Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Josh Hawley, and a fifth Republican senator — join all 47 Democrats. The vote comes five days after Operation Absolute Resolve captured former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro on January 3. Trump immediately threatens to veto the resolution if it passes both chambers. Senate Majority Leader John Thune schedules a final vote for the following week. The measure would not block the completed operations but sets a precedent for future action. The Council on Foreign Relations notes the 52-47 margin is the clearest congressional rebuke of the Venezuela campaign, though without veto-override numbers it remains largely symbolic.