Venezuela

Roll Call -  The Senate on Thursday voted to advance a joint resolution aimed at preventing President Donald Trump from taking more military action against Venezuela days after U.S. forces bombed Caracas and captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

Senators voted 52-47 to discharge a war powers resolution from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that would bar military action “within or against” Venezuela absent a specific congressional authorization. The Senate will now need to vote in the coming days on whether to pass the measure; the initial procedural tally bodes well, though passage isn’t a lock.

The outcome represents a reversal from just a couple of months ago, when the Senate voted against advancing a nearly identical measure.

“I believe invoking the War Powers act at this moment is necessary, given the President’s comments about the possibility of ‘boots on the ground’ and a sustained engagement ‘running’ Venezuela, with which I do not agree,” Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said in a statement announcing her “yes” vote Thursday.

In addition to Collins, Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., also voted in support of advancing the joint resolution Thursday after previously voting to block the similar measure. GOP Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who co-sponsored the joint resolution, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska also voted in favor of advancing the measure, as they did with the previous proposal.