The United States Senate has blocked a resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s military power regarding Venezuela, yet the administration clarified that the campaign launched in August against drug trafficking in the Caribbean is confined solely to vessels in international waters and cannot extend to Venezuelan territory due to a lack of legal and regulatory basis to justify land attacks.
By: La Tabla/Data Journalism Platform, November 7, 2025
The rejection of the bipartisan resolution in the U.S. Senate, which sought to prevent President Donald Trump from ordering military strikes against Venezuela without prior Congressional approval, does not equate to a recognition of legal power to intervene in the South American country. The Congress chose not to impose an additional limit on presidential authority, but constitutional and international restrictions remain in effect.
📌 Immediate Context
The Senate vote (49 to 51) blocked an initiative aimed at strengthening Congress’s role in authorizing military operations. Nevertheless, simultaneously, Trump administration officials indicated in a classified session that the campaign initiated in August against drug trafficking in the Caribbean is restricted to vessels operating in international waters.
This legal report, prepared by the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice, does not mention Venezuela and does not authorize land attacks. The presidential executive order that activated the naval deployment also does not include targets on Venezuelan soil.
⚖️ Legal Foundations
– Domestic Law: The Constitution grants Congress the power to declare war. The president, as commander-in-chief, can order limited military operations, but not a ground invasion without legislative approval.
– International Law: The UN Charter prohibits the use of force against another state except in legitimate self-defense. Since Venezuela has not attacked the U.S., there is no justification to invoke this exception.
– Sovereignty Principle: International customary law reinforces the ban on military actions without the consent of the affected state or a mandate from the Security Council.
🧩 Political Implications
The rejection of the resolution leaves the president with a greater political margin to threaten or pressure, yet it does not provide a legal backing to intervene in Venezuela. The administration may continue naval operations in international waters, but any land attack would still lack legal grounds.
📍 Conclusion
The failure to pass the resolution in the Senate does not imply a recognition of Trump’s power to intervene in Venezuela. What it signifies is that Congress did not wish to explicitly limit his authority, but legal barriers both domestic and international remain intact. The military campaign remains restricted to vessels in international waters, with no legal basis to extend to Venezuelan territory.