President Donald Trump went on the attack Thursday after five Republican senators joined Democrats to advance a war powers resolution aimed at blocking future U.S. military action in Venezuela without congressional approval.
Posting on Truth Social, Trump accused the senators of undermining national security and called for voters to remove them from office.
“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,” Trump wrote, naming Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young. He added that they “should never be elected to office again.”
The Senate vote, which passed 52–47, cleared a procedural barrier for the resolution and signaled that it probably has enough support to pass a final vote next week. The resolution would require congressional authorization before Trump could order additional military strikes in Venezuela following last week’s operation that captured Nicolás Maduro, according to CNBC.
Trump rejected the resolution outright, calling it unconstitutional and attacking the senators personally.
“This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” he wrote, before labeling the lawmakers’ decision “stupidity.”
Trump was on a roll and continued lambasting their acts, saying, ” In any event, and despite their “stupidity,” the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.”
Maduro’s arrest is good for the U.S. and Venezuela. But the President’s claims that the U.S. will run Venezuela for years make it clear: his plans go way beyond Maduro. That means Congress needs a say—and what the vote on my War Powers Resolution is about. https://t.co/DjuopFxIZ4
— Senator Tim Kaine (@SenTimKaine) January 8, 2026
The backlash came just hours after the vote, which stunned some lawmakers who had expected the resolution to stall again, as it did in November. This time, five Republicans crossed party lines: Paul, Murkowski, Collins, Hawley, and Young, CNN reported.
Rand Paul, a longtime critic of unchecked presidential war authority, framed the issue as constitutional rather than ideological. “The debate really isn’t about good or evil,” Paul told reporters. “The question is about who has the power to take the country to war.”
“The American people have said clearly and repeatedly they do not want us dragged into new foreign wars, especially wars of our own making.”
@SenAdamSchiff on the importance of the Senate’s Venezuela War Powers Resolution pic.twitter.com/P6qyN9xlUr
— Senate Democrats (@SenateDems) January 8, 2026
Susan Collins said she supported the operation to seize Maduro but drew a line at prolonged military involvement. “I do not support committing additional U.S. forces or entering into any long-term military involvement in Venezuela… without specific congressional authorization,” she said in a statement on X.
The congresswoman added, “The resolution… reaffirms Congress’s ability to authorize or limit any future sustained military activity in Venezuela.”
Trump and his allies have argued that the Venezuela operation did not require congressional approval because it was framed as a law-enforcement action rather than a traditional military strike. Democrats and some Republicans have pushed back, saying the scale of the operation makes that distinction meaningless, Politico reported.
My statement on the Venezuela War Powers Resolution: pic.twitter.com/3Un2jCwhNe
— Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) January 8, 2026
Despite Trump’s fury, the resolution still faces hurdles. It must pass a final Senate vote, clear the House, and survive an expected presidential veto, which is a high bar given the current margins, according to Politico.
Trump acknowledged the fight isn’t over, holding out hope that the war powers resolution will be revoked. “Nevertheless,” he wrote, “a more important Senate Vote will be taking place next week on this very subject.”
For now, the message was unmistakable. The Senate moved. And Trump noticed.
