Despite the United States not being at war with Venezuela, Democrats are forging ahead with a resolution targeting the Trump administration’s war powers.

Known as S.J. Res. 98, the Tim Kaine move builds on S.J. Res. 90, which was rejected 49-51 last November.

The revised Democrat resolution demands an end to “hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorised by Congress.”

S.J. Res. 98 asserts that because Congress didn’t approve a war with Venezuela, nor declare one, Trump must cease all action against the Venezuelan regime.

Leaning on the Vietnam War era 1973 War Powers Resolution (Title 50 U.S.C. Section 30 1542-1543(a)), Democrats are calling for all hostilities to cease.

1542 requires the President to “consult and keep Congress up to date, whenever possible, before introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities.”

Added here are “situations where imminent involvement in hostilities is clearly indicated by the circumstances.”

1543 specifically rules that in the absence of a declaration of war, any deployment of the United States Armed Forces into hostile circumstances must be accompanied by a written report giving reasons for the decision.

As such, the Democrats are trying to force an end to Operation Southern Spear (border control against drug trafficking and cartels).

This “cease and desist” resolution also applies to any further actions like  Operation Absolute Resolve (the capture of Socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores).

With the fresh help of 5 republicans, including Rand Paul, who supported both the October and December resolutions, the largely symbolic S.J. Res. 98 moved ahead 52-47.

Even if the motion passes the Republican-held Congress, President Trump has the right of veto.

Answering the protests about policy and procedure, Secretary of State Marco Rubio justified the January 3 decisions, saying the mission was time-sensitive.

“This was not the kind of mission you can do congressional notification on,” he told a press conference at the time.

“Conditions had to be met night after night. We monitored that for a number of days.

“It wasn’t the kind of mission where you can call people and say we may do this in the next 15 days.”

Notifying everyone would have endangered the military operation and its operators.

“At its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice.”

Also, “Congress tends to leak.

“If they leaked the operation, it may have been a different result. They knew we were coming at some point.”

Giving further context for why the U.S administration arrested Maduro and his wife, Rubio explained,

Maduro wouldn’t deal. He had ample opportunities to come to the table, and “he chose to play games instead.

“He could have been living somewhere else right now, and be very happy. Now Maduro has other problems on his hands.

“I can tell you, I have watched this process for 14, 15 years,” Rubio recalled.

“Maduro flooded the United States with gang members, tried to imprison Americans and use them as leverage, and invited Iran’s (death to America) regime into the country.”

This “was a direct threat to the national interest of the United States, and the president addressed it.”

Unlike the Biden White House, rather than be played by Maduro, Trump chose to act.

Post-Maduro, Rubio said, they are hoping to work with Venezuela’s government in restoring rights and restoring life back into Venezuela.

On the subject of oil, he said, they “stole our oil. We built that industry. They just took it over like we were nothing.

“We had a president who decided not to do anything about it. We did something about it.”

To add, Rubio said the Trump administration was working to make sure the oil industry would be run properly.

This includes ensuring that Americans and Venezuelans, not regimes, reap the benefits.

Speaking with the ABC, Rubio added, the Trump administration will not be running the country. The Venezuelan regime has to come to the table. 

However, “Venezuela’s economy will not be able to move forward until the conditions that are in the national interest of the United States and the interests of the Venezuelan people are met.”

“We want a better future for the people of Venezuela.

“We want them to have an oil industry where the wealth is – goes to the people, not to a handful of corrupt individuals and is stolen by pirates all over the world.

“That’s what we’re working towards, and we intend to use the leverage we have to help achieve that.”

Of significance, S.J. Res. 98 is the third time in 8 months that Democrats have tried to reassert their power over the Oval Office.

A similar “limit on war powers” resolution was rejected in June 2025. 

The motion was in response to unrealised fears that the Trump administration stopping Iran’s Islamist Regime from going nuclear would start a global war.

President Trump described the new resolution as stupid.

“This Vote greatly hampers American self-defence and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Unbothered, Trump then noted the tension between the War Powers Act (Federal law) and its Constitutional application, stating,

The War Powers Act “violates Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.”

Reprimanding Rand Paul and the four other Republicans who sided with Democrats, Trump said, “It was a shame.”

In many respects, he’s right.

S.J. Res. 98 is all bark, no bite.

In effect, Democrats are demanding Trump end a war that doesn’t even exist. 

File under: politicians shearing pigs.