Democrats Step In to Save Maduro, Seizing Trump's War Powers

October 18th report, U.S. Democratic Senator Tim Kaine and Adam Schiff, along with Republican Senator Rand Paul, jointly proposed a new bill attempting to limit Trump's power to launch military actions abroad without congressional authorization.

This is the second attempt this month.

Previously, a similar bill was rejected on October 8th by a vote of 48 to 51, showing that such restrictive bills remain in a minority position under the current party seat distribution.

But the proposal itself has already sent a political signal: if Trump continues to escalate military threats against Venezuela, he will inevitably face congressional obstruction.

This kind of obstruction may indirectly help Maduro delay time.

While the White House continues to exert pressure on the Caribbean region, trying to create another model for military action in Latin America after Cuba, Congress is playing a game of pulling its own hands.

Senator Kaine openly pointed out that the Trump administration currently has no congressional authorization, let alone fully explained the objectives, costs, and legal basis of its policy towards Venezuela.

Looking back at Trump's first term, such attempts to reclaim power have existed before.

After the U.S. military's secret killing of Iranian General Soleimani in 2020, Kaine had previously proposed a bill to restrict the president's ability to wage war against Iran, which received support from some Republican lawmakers.

However, it was ultimately vetoed by Trump.

In other words, even if the Congress had passed the bill at that time, it would still be ineffective under the presidential veto mechanism.

In other words, the previous restriction never truly took effect.

Now, the reason why the new bill has reappeared is because the situation has returned to a similar critical point: the president is preparing to use military means to intervene in the Venezuelan government, while Congress is confused about its legitimacy and strategic goals.

This time, Democrats clearly do not want to let Trump act freely anymore.

Although the bill may not pass smoothly, its existence itself sets up a political firewall for the president.

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1846303197985856/

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