The House of Representatives failed to pass legislation that would block President Donald Trump from waging war in Venezuela.
The vote ended in a tie, 215-215, with two Republicans voting with all Democrats for the War Powers Resolution on Venezuela. One Republican did not vote. The legislation was cosponsored by Thomas Massie (R-KY) and over 120 Democratic Representatives.
The vote caused a commotion on the floor as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) held the vote open for 30 minutes. One Democratic member shouted at Johnson to close the vote. Voting was closed after Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX) arrived to cast the vote that killed the legislation.
Speaking in favor of the legislation, several Democrats argued that President Trump failed to follow Constitutional procedures when ordering military operations against Venezuela that led to the kidnapping of President Nicolas Maduro.
However, Erik Sperling of Just Foreign Policy notes that some Democrats criticized Trump for not removing the government of Venezuela. “In effect, they criticized him for not going far enough with regime change,” Sperling explained to Antiwar.com.
The Senate previously rejected a War Powers Resolution for Venezuela on a narrow vote. President Trump has lashed out at Republicans for voting in favor of bills that attempt to limit his war-making.
