Senate defeats bid to curb Venezuela war powers

The Senate on Thursday rejected a bipartisan resolution that would have limited President Donald Trump’s ability to launch military strikes against Venezuela without congressional authorization, voting 51 to 49 as Republican opposition blocked the measure from advancing. The resolution, led by Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia with co-sponsor Sen. Adam Schiff of California and supported by Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, would have required the president to terminate the use of U.S. armed forces for hostilities within or against Venezuela unless Congress expressly authorized such action. Only two Republicans, Mr. Paul and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, joined Democrats in voting for the measure.

The vote followed weeks of heightened U.S. military activity in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, where Pentagon officials say forces have carried out at least 16 strikes on vessels they describe as involved in drug trafficking, killing at least 66 people. The administration has increased naval and air assets in the region, including dispatching the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to the Caribbean as part of what officials characterize as a counternarcotics campaign. Lawmakers and outside...