On the 14th (local time), Republican senators in the U.S. Congress voted to block a war powers resolution that sought to limit President Donald Trump's authority to launch further attacks in Venezuela.

The result, which handed a victory to President Trump, came after two Republican senators reversed their support for the bill and Vice President JD Vance cast the deciding vote.

President Trump had exerted heavy pressure on the five Republican senators who had initially joined Democrats in pushing for the resolution, eventually succeeding in blocking the bill. Among the Republicans, Senators Josh Hawley (R-MO) and Todd Young (R-IN) were the two who changed their positions.

Vice President JD Vance had to break a 50-50 deadlock in the Senate regarding the Republican-backed motion to table the bill.

While the high-profile vote demonstrated that President Trump still maintains significant control over a large portion of Republican lawmakers, the Associated Press noted that the narrow margin of victory revealed growing concerns within Congress over the President’s aggressive foreign policy.

Democrats had pushed for the debate following the U.S. military's nighttime raid and arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

During a speech in Michigan on Tuesday the 13th, President Trump remarked, "It was one of the most successful operations ever, yet they found a way to oppose it. It is truly surprising and unfortunate."

He also lashed out at the Republican senators who pushed the bill, labeling Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) a "cold-blooded loser" and referring to Senators Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Susan Collins (R-ME) as "disasters." These three Republican senators maintained their support for the bill.

These three GOP senators are well-known as "Never-Trumpers" who have openly opposed President Trump's policies on numerous occasions.

Given that while military action options regarding Greenland have sparked bipartisan resistance, the situation in Venezuela is entirely different; it is understandable that President Trump would be frustrated with Republican senators attempting to limit his war powers.

Even if the bill had passed the Senate, it was essentially unlikely to become law as it would have ultimately required President Trump's signature.

However, the bill served as a litmus test for loyalty to the President while gauging how much leeway the Republican-controlled Senate is willing to provide for Trump to utilize military force abroad.

Senator Hawley stated that following a phone call with President Trump, he had a follow-up conversation with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and received a "straight answer" that there would be no deployment of ground troops.

He added that he received assurances that the Trump administration would follow constitutional requirements should there be a need to send troops back to a South American country.

President Trump told reporters at an unrelated bill signing ceremony on Wednesday, "We are doing very well with Venezuela."

As senators gathered on the floor for the vote Wednesday evening, Senator Young also informed reporters that he was no longer supporting the measure. He noted that he had held extensive talks with Secretary Rubio and received assurances that the Secretary of State would appear for an open hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Senator Young also released a letter from Secretary Rubio, which stipulated that the President would "seek prior congressional approval (to the extent circumstances permit)" if he were to conduct "major military operations" in Venezuela.

Senators also noted that their efforts played a crucial role in pressuring the administration to release a 22-page Department of Justice memo explaining the legal justification for the raid against Maduro on Wednesday.

The heavily redacted memo suggests that the administration has no plans to expand military operations in Venezuela for the time being.

According to the memo signed by Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Elliot Gaiser, it was confirmed that "there are no contingency plans to conduct substantial and sustained operations that would constitute war under the Constitution."

President Trump has previously stated that the operation to arrest Maduro was a law enforcement action intended to bring him to trial in the U.S. for charges filed in 2020, and that while a second military operation had been planned, it would not be executed.

Nevertheless, Democratic lawmakers have characterized the operation to arrest Maduro as effectively an act of war, launching political attacks alleging that President Trump intends to wage war without congressional approval.

Concerns persist that President Trump has not abandoned the military option regarding Greenland, despite Secretary Rubio's stated position that the focus remains on purchase rather than military action.

Meanwhile, as protesters in Iran face a bloody crackdown by their government, Trump has signaled potential military action, declaring that "help is coming soon."

U.S. NNP = Representative Journalist Sung Ku Hong / Special NNP Correspondent info@newsandpost.com