Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote Wednesday night to kill a War Powers Resolution aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s military authority in Venezuela. The resolution, backed by Democrats and a handful of Republicans, failed 51–50 after Vance broke the Senate tie.
Three Republicans — Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, and Susan Collins — crossed party lines to support the measure. But Vance, presiding over the Senate, declared the chamber tied before pausing briefly and then siding with the White House.
“On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes — affirmative. And the point of order is sustained,” Vance said with a grin.
Two Republican senators, Josh Hawley and Todd Young, had previously signaled support for the resolution but flipped after direct outreach from the Trump administration. Hawley told Will Cain that President Trump personally assured him there would be no deployment of ground troops without congressional approval.
“For me, it’s always been about troops,” Hawley said. “We are not going to occupy Venezuela. That’s good enough for me.”
Young reversed course after receiving a letter from Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who promised to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee if needed. Rubio said that any major military action would require advance authorization from Congress, “circumstances permitting.”
The failed resolution was seen by many as a last-ditch effort by Democrats to restrain Trump’s foreign policy after the successful capture of Nicolás Maduro. The White House had called the bill a political stunt and warned it would embolden enemies abroad.
With Vance’s vote, Trump retains full flexibility to respond to unfolding events in Venezuela — and critics of his America First military doctrine were dealt another blow.
The post Vance Kills War Powers Resolution With Tie-Breaking Senate Vote appeared first on Real News Now.
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