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Senate Republicans voted to reject legislation Thursday that would have put a check on U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to launch an attack against Venezuela, as Democrats pressed Congress to take a stronger role in Trump's high-stakes campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Lawmakers, including top Republicans, have demanded that the Trump administration provide them with more information on the U.S. military strikes against alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean.
But Thursday's vote, which would essentially prevent an attack on Venezuelan soil by first requiring congressional authorization, showed the lengths to which GOP senators are willing to go to allow the Trump administration to continue its buildup of naval forces in the region.
"President Trump has taken decisive action to protect thousands of Americans from lethal narcotics," said Sen. Jim Risch, the Republican chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The legislation had vi
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