House Republicans criticize Kaine’s Venezuela war power decision against Trump

House Republicans are criticizing efforts to block Trump’s executive order in Venezuela, pouring cold water on a war-powers resolution passing the Senate.

In Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., has a bright line for when Congress might need to consider it, and in his estimation, the president hasn’t crossed it yet.

“If we’re going to be there long, [Trump] it requires congressional authority to do so. Doing what he did last weekend doesn’t do it,” Messmer said on Thursday, referring to the January 3 military operation in which the United States seized Maduro by force.

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The initiative of the Senate, led by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., will require President Donald Trump to obtain congressional approval to conduct any further military action in Venezuela, citing constitutional requirements for US military involvement. The Senate’s decision comes as Democrats criticized Trump for impeaching Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro from his office earlier this month.

In its first consideration in the Senate, five Republican lawmakers joined Democrats to advance the measure.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, RN.Y., believes their support is a misunderstanding of the Constitution – a misunderstanding of what is happening in Venezuela.

“The War Powers Resolution has never been constitutionally ruled,” Tenney said, referring to previous attempts to encroach on executive power.

“This is also an act of law. Maduro and his wife and others have been charged in court, in federal court. [Trump] “We have carefully pursued law enforcement in addition to protecting national security interests in the Western Hemisphere,” Tenney said.

Amidst the LIGHTNING OF AWESOME DEFENSES THAT SURVIVED THE DEFENSES OF VENEZUELA, MADURO WENT.

Deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro arrives at the Downtown Manhattan Heliport as he heads to the Daniel Patrick Moynihan US Courthouse, Jan. 5, 2026. (Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Reuters)

Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., echoed Tenney’s comments, arguing that Maduro’s capture by the US was more like a law enforcement operation than an act of war.

“This is an arrest. There was a disturbance,” Stutzman said.

“And that was before the Trump administration. There was a bounty placed on his head by the Biden administration of $25 million. This was an arrest,” Stutzman said.

Like other Republicans, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., argued that limited use of the president’s power to enforce laws falls under the president’s authority. In his view, Congress would be going out of its way to unnecessarily block Trump’s military spending without good reason to do so.

“We will not go to war with Venezuela. The power of Congress is to declare war and that is not something we expect to happen right now. So, limiting [Trump’s] authority is counterproductive and unnecessary,” Cline said.

On a practical level, Messmer noted that Trump could block the war powers resolution anyway — even if he somehow clears both chambers of Congress.

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A signed executive order is shown behind President Donald Trump during the presentation of the Mexican Border Defense Medal in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Dec. 15, 2025. (Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

“Ultimately, the president has to sign it, and what are the chances of that? It’s just a political platform at this point,” Messmer said.

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After clearing its first procedural hurdle, the Senate will continue to consider Kaine’s war resolution. It must receive 60 votes to pass.