GOP Senators Move to Rein in Trump's Foreign Policy: 'He Didn't Bluff With Venezuela'

Several Senate Republicans are moving to curb President Donald Trump's foreign policy authority amid concerns that his actions in Venezuela signal a broader willingness to deploy U.S. military force abroad without congressional approval, as The Hill reports.

The push follows last week's vote to advance a war powers resolution that would limit Trump's ability to conduct further military action in Venezuela. Five Republican senators joined Democrats to send the measure to the Senate floor, reflecting unease within the party about the administration's direction after U.S. forces captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

"It's the innuendo about, 'Colombia, you better watch out,' 'Mexico, you better watch out,' 'Greenland, we're going to take over you,'" Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska told The Hill. "Ordinarily, you would just say those are just bluffing words. But when you see he didn't bluff there with Venezuela, it does cause you to just step back and say, 'What else is being planned?'"

Murkowski said lawmakers have struggled to get clear answers from the administration, noting that Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had assured senators last month that regime change in Venezuela was not under consideration. Those assurances came weeks before U.S. commandos stormed Maduro's compound.

"We've seen things escalate," Murkowski said, describing classified briefings in which officials insisted the mission was limited to drug interdiction and would not involve deploying military assets inside the country. "And yet here we are."

The vote exposed a sharp rift between the Senate Republican Conference and the White House. Trump responded by publicly attacking the five senators — Murkowski, Rand Paul, Susan Collins, Josh Hawley and Todd Young — and privately making angry calls urging them to reverse course, according to NBC News. Trump also threatened to support primary challenges against them.

"This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security," Trump wrote on Truth Social, calling the War Powers Act unconstitutional and accusing the senators of voting with Democrats to undermine his authority:

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, the resolution's sponsor, said the measure was prompted by concerns about unchecked military escalation. He and other Republicans have also expressed alarm over Sen. Lindsey Graham's growing influence on Trump's foreign policy, particularly Graham's public support for military action against Cuba following the Venezuela operation.

The Senate is expected to debate the resolution this week. Even if it passes, Republicans acknowledge it is unlikely to advance in the House, where Speaker Mike Johnson controls the agenda.

"It's still a worthwhile debate," Paul said.