U.S. Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a resolution that would have barred President Donald Trump from launching military action against Venezuela without congressional approval, underscoring deep divisions over the administrations escalating campaign in the Caribbean.

U.S.Senate Republicans blocked a resolution on Thursday that would have prevented PresidentDonald Trumpfrom attacking Venezuela without congressional authorisation, a day after administration officials told lawmakers that Washington is not currently planning strikes on Venezuelan territory.

The Senate voted 51 to 49, largely along party lines, against a measure that would have brought the war powers resolution up for a vote.

Only two of Trumps fellow Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure, in a show of the partys support for Trumps military build-up in the southern Caribbean after two months of deadly strikes against boats off Venezuela.

The Trump administration says that since early September, U.S. forces have launched at least 16 strikes against such vessels in the Pacific and southern Caribbean, killing more than 65 people.

The prolonged campaign has heightened concern that Trump will launch an attack onVenezuelaitself, prompting the introduction of the bipartisan resolution. Its lead sponsors were Democrats Tim Kaine of Virginia and Adam Schiff of California, and Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.

Trump has dangled the possibility of land attacks on Venezuela for weeks, saying at one point that he had authorised the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct covert operations in the country.

He later denied he was considering strikes inside Venezuela, even as Washington continued to build up a large military presence in the Caribbean with fighter jets, warships and thousands of troops.

Secretary of StateMarco Rubioand Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth briefed congressional leaders and the Republican chairs and top Democrats on national security committees on the issue on Wednesday.

Based on that briefing, I think the administration does not want to go to war with Venezuela, Adam Smith of Washington, the ranking Democrat on the House of Representatives Armed Services Committee, told the Atlantic Council.

But then again, President Trump is rather known for hiswhat would be the best way to put thischaotic approach to things. Hes one to change his mind very quickly. So who knows?

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National security concerns

Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top intelligence committee Democrat, said the legal justification for the boat strikes laid out by administration officials did not include justification for direct attacks on Venezuelan territory.

Nothing in the legal opinion even mentions Venezuela, Warner told reporters as he left Wednesdays briefing.

A senior administration official said attacks against land targets would be justified on national security grounds.

Some legal experts say the strikes may violate international law as well as U.S. laws against murder and prohibitions on assassination.

Members ofCongressfrom both parties have complained they have received scant information, such as who was killed, evidence of drug trafficking, the build-ups cost, or the administrations long-term Latin American strategy.

During debate on the resolution on Thursday, Senate Democratic leaderChuck Schumerof New York called on the Trump administration to hold a briefing for all 100 senators. Democrats have also called for a meeting with the full House of Representatives.

The administration has said those targeted were narco-terrorists transporting drugs that endangered Americans, without providing evidence or publicly explaining the legal justification for attacking the boats rather than stopping them and arresting those on board.

The U.S. Constitution requires any president to obtain Congresss approval before launching a prolonged military operation.

The time is right for Congress to step in and reassert our congressional responsibility, Schiff told a news conference before Thursdays vote.

Opposing the resolution, Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, the Republican chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said Trump had the authority he needed as commander-in-chief. I wish my colleagues would join me today in congratulating the president for what he has done, he said.

It was only the latest attempt to rein in Trumps war powers. The Senate blocked a resolution last month, by a vote of 5148, that sought to stop the boat strikes. That vote was also mostly along party lines, with the same two RepublicansPaul and Lisa Murkowski of Alaskabacking the measure.

Kaine and Schiff told reporters on Thursday they would consider options for trying another resolution after the vote.

(FRANCE 24 with Reuters)

Originally published on France24