{"id":2531502,"date":"2026-01-08T13:47:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:47:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-five-gop-senators-who-broke-rank-with-trump-on-venezuela\/"},"modified":"2026-01-08T13:49:08","modified_gmt":"2026-01-08T18:49:08","slug":"the-five-gop-senators-who-broke-rank-with-trump-on-venezuela","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-five-gop-senators-who-broke-rank-with-trump-on-venezuela\/","title":{"rendered":"The five GOP senators who broke rank with Trump on Venezuela"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-five-gop-senators-who-broke-rank-with-trump-on-venezuela%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2531502&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Five Senate Republicans joined Democrats to advance a bipartisan measure limiting further U.S. military operations in Venezuela without congressional approval, a rare rebuke to President Trump after the U.S. captured and removed Nicol\u00e1s Maduro. The vote clears the way for possible passage as soon as next week and came amid concerns about the administration&#8217;s lack of notification, the legal basis for escalating actions, and comments suggesting a prolonged U.S. role or &#8220;boots on the ground.&#8221; The GOP senators were Rand Paul (co-author of the resolution, arguing Congress-not the president-should decide war), Susan Collins (seeking to preserve congressional authority while maintaining Article II powers), Lisa Murkowski (said Congress lacked necessary information), Todd Young (a Marine veteran opposed to committing troops without authorization), and Josh Hawley (citing the Constitution&#8217;s requirement for congressional approval for ground deployments). Trump criticized the dissenting senators on social media, saying the vote undermines <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/we-got-it-newsmax-reporter-emerald-robinson-national-security-source-confirms-a-piece-of-hardware-has-been-secured-in-germany\/\" title=\"We Got It! - Newsmax Reporter Emerald Robinson: National Security Source Confirms &quot;A Piece of Hardware Has Been Secured&quot; in Germany\">national security<\/a> and presidential authority, though many Republicans still supported the initial operation.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The five Senate Republicans who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrat-sen-tester-canceling-keystone-pipeline-was-a-mistake\/\" title=\"Democrat Sen. Tester: Canceling Keystone pipeline was a mistake\">broke rank<\/a> with Trump on Venezuela war powers<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2467114\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Five Senate Republicans helped deliver a rare congressional setback for President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\">Donald Trump<\/a> on Thursday after voting with Democrats to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4411245\/senate-vote-advances-trump-war-powers-venezuela\/\">advance a bipartisan measure<\/a> that restricts further military operations against&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/venezuela\/\">Venezuela&nbsp;<\/a>without congressional approval.<\/p>\n<p>The outcome marked a significant rebuke of Trump&rsquo;s actions in the South American country after the United States captured and removed former dictator Nicolas Maduro from power.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4411245\/senate-vote-advances-trump-war-powers-venezuela\/\">Senate advances Venezuela war powers resolution in rare rebuke of Trump<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4410628\/gop-test-trump-venezuela-military-action-maduro-capture\/\">GOP faces test on Trump&rsquo;s Venezuela military action after Maduro capture<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4410319\/senate-democrats-on-luxury-retreats-during-government-shutdown-filings-show\/\">Senate Democrats spent lavishly on luxury retreats during government shutdown, filings show<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The vote reflected the growing unease over the lack of congressional notification and how the administration plans to manage the transition, although Republicans were generally supportive of the operation itself.<\/p>\n<p>After the measure advanced, clearing the way for passage as soon as next week, Trump posted on social media that those who broke rank &ldquo;should never be elected to office again.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President&rsquo;s Authority as Commander in Chief,&rdquo; Trump <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/truthsocial.com\/@realDonaldTrump\/115860738010214901\">said<\/a> on Truth Social.<\/p>\n<p>Here are the five GOP senators who voted with all Democrats.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Pictured are Sens. Rand Paul (R-KY), upper left, Josh Hawley (R-MO), upper right, Susan Collins (R-ME), lower left, Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), lower middle, and Todd Young (R-IN), lower right. (AP Photos)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-1-sen-rand-paul-r-ky\">1. Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY)<\/h2>\n<p>Paul is a co-author of the resolution with Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA). A libertarian, Paul has repeatedly supported efforts to limit Trump&rsquo;s ability to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/kim-jong-uns-sister-calls-south-korean-defense-minister-scum-threatens-disaster\/\" title=\"Kim Jong-un&#039;s Sister Calls South Korean Defense Minister &#039;Scum,&#039; Threatens &#039;Disaster&#039;\">conduct military strikes<\/a> in the Caribbean Sea without the express approval of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>Although he views the Maduro regime as a &ldquo;disaster,&rdquo; he said the case made by his other Republican colleagues, namely that Venezuelans will be better off free from a corrupt dictator, should be moot.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The debate really isn&rsquo;t about good or evil, bad or good,&rdquo; Paul told reporters. &ldquo;The question is about who has the power to take the country to war.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-2-sen-susan-collins-r-me\">2. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME)<\/h2>\n<p>Collins, a centrist up for reelection in a battleground race, said the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >war powers language<\/a> would maintain Trump&rsquo;s Article II authority but reaffirm Congress&rsquo;s powers, something she viewed as &ldquo;necessary&rdquo; because of Trump&rsquo;s openness to a drawn-out U.S. presence in Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I believe invoking the War Powers Act at this moment is necessary, given the president&rsquo;s comments about the possibility of &lsquo;boots on the ground&rsquo; and a sustained engagement &lsquo;running&rsquo; Venezuela, with which I do not agree,&rdquo; Collins said in a statement.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-3-sen-lisa-murkowski-r-ak\">3. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK)<\/h2>\n<p>A centrist who frequently aligns with Collins, Murkowski backed efforts last year to limit Trump&rsquo;s actions against Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I took these votes because I believed the administration failed to provide Congress with the information necessary to fully evaluate the legal basis for these escalating actions,&rdquo; she said in a recent statement. &ldquo;That was true then, and it remains true today.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-4-sen-todd-young-r-in\">4. Sen. Todd Young (R-IN)<\/h2>\n<p>Young, a Marine veteran, also cited concerns over continued U.S. involvement and the president&rsquo;s claims that his administration now &ldquo;runs&rdquo; Venezuela.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I &mdash; along with what I believe to be the vast majority of Hoosiers &mdash; am not prepared to commit American troops to that mission,&rdquo; Young said in a statement. &ldquo;Although I remain open to persuasion, any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela must be subject to debate and authorization in Congress.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4411245\/senate-vote-advances-trump-war-powers-venezuela\/\">SENATE ADVANCES VENEZUELA WAR POWERS RESOLUTION IN RARE REBUKE OF TRUMP<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-5-sen-josh-hawley-r-mo\">5. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO)<\/h2>\n<p>Hawley votes mostly along party lines but maintains a conservative populist streak that sometimes puts him at odds with colleagues. He expressed reservations about U.S. troops being deployed to Venezuela without congressional approval.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;With regard to Venezuela, my read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it,&rdquo; he posted to social media. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why I voted yes on this morning&rsquo;s Senate resolution.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Five GOP senators defy Trump on Venezuela war<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3108,"featured_media":2531503,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-cjicr243e-1767894106702-e1767895705191.jpg?1767877887&amp;w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[70408,45413,33980,50813],"class_list":["post-2531502","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-defied-trump","tag-gop-senators","tag-u-s-senate","tag-venezuela-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/image-collage-cjicr243e-1767894106702-e1767895705191.jpg?1767877887&amp;w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531502","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3108"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2531502"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531502\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2531506,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2531502\/revisions\/2531506"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2531503"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2531502"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2531502"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2531502"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}