Looming war powers Senate vote ramps up pressure on Hawley after MAGA backlash
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is facing backlash from the MAGA base after voting with Democrats and a small group of Republican senators to advance a war powers resolution related to Venezuela — marking a break with President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to hold a full vote on the resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct future military operations against Venezuela without Congressional approval, teeing up a test for Hawley with MAGA and its base.
The vote comes after Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. military carried out a successful operation in Venezuela, capturing dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The couple is now being held in a New York City jail on sweeping narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.
The operation set off condemnation among Democrats who took issue with Trump ordering the mission and strike on Venezuela without prior congressional approval.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS RIP SENATE WAR POWERS PUSH AS ‘POLITICAL THEATER’ AFTER TRUMP’S VENEZUELA RAID
Days later, on Jan. 8, the Senate advanced a bipartisan war powers resolution by a 52–47 vote that would require the president to seek congressional authorization before engaging U.S. armed forces in “hostilities within or against Venezuela.” The procedural vote set up a full Senate vote slated for Wednesday.
Hawley joined Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind., in voting with Democrats to require Trump obtain congressional approval prior to military action in Venezuela, sparking condemnation and surprise from the MAGA base on social media earlier in January.
“The Republicans who sided with Democrats today on the War Powers resolution are STUPID & WEAK,” former campaign aide Alex Bruesewitz posted to X following the procedural vote. “It came as no surprise to see Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, or Todd Young vote against President Trump, they’ve all shown clear signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome in the past.”
Bruesewitz added that he was “surprised and disappointed” by Hawley for aligning “himself with the anti-Trump faction and Democrats, particularly since he represents Missouri, one of the most staunchly pro-Trump states in the nation.”
“Shameful,” he added.
Hawley previously defended his procedural vote by framing it as a constitutional issue rather than a rebuke of the administration.
“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,” Hawley posted to X explaining the vote.
Fox News Digital spoke to a longtime Republican campaign operative working on midterm races, who said Hawley has broken with the administration over a handful of issues, and compared him to former Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who frequently take shots at the president and his policies and draw media attention.
DEMOCRATS’ OWN WORDS BACK UP TRUMP ACTION IN VENEZUELA, TOP INTEL LAWMAKER SAYS
“It seems like every other month he does something that’s opposed to the president and the party more broadly,” the source said.
Trump needs two of the five Republicans to switch their positions ahead of Wednesday’s vote. The president put the five senators on notice following the procedural vote, warning on social media that they “should never be elected to office again.”
“This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief,” he wrote earlier in January. “In any event, and despite their ‘stupidity,’ the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me.”
MAGA allies echoed Trump’s Truth Social message in their own posts, describing Hawley as a “RINO” whose political career is allegedly teetering over the vote.
“President Trump ERUPTS on the Republican senators who just voted to approve the War Powers resolution that would rein in his Venezuela operations, says NEVER ELECT THEM AGAIN,” Eric Daughtery posted to X Jan. 8.
“Remember this in November. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again! We are sick of compromised GOP dirtbags going against our President,” another MAGA-aligned social media account, Farm Girl Carrie, posted.
Hawley told Fox News Tuesday, when asked how he plans to vote, that he’s spoken with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and DOJ officials about his top concern of having American troops on the ground.
He said they “assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela” and that there “are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela.”
“My big concern has been ground troops in Venezuela and, making sure that if there’s going to be ground troops in Venezuela, (which) I would hope we would not do, that Congress authorizes that. But I will tell you, I’ve talked to the president. I talked to the secretary of state. I talked to the Department of Justice here in the last few days and have had tremendous conversations in the Secretary of State, who I just talked to recently, assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela. There are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela,” he said. “The administration will notify Congress, will seek congressional approval where necessary.”
Hawley has drawn Trump’s ire before, including during a fight over Hawley’s stock-trading ban proposal in July. Trump, who previously said he liked the idea “conceptually,” accused Hawley of siding with Democrats to block a GOP-backed effort tied to reviewing Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading.
“Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years. The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote — Very much like SABOTAGE!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hawley has also broken with the administration on domestic policy, repeatedly criticizing Medicaid reforms included in Trump’s “big, beautiful bill” back in 2025, even as he ultimately voted in favor of the sweeping package when it came to the Senate floor.
REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: GOP REBELS DEFY TRUMP AS CONGRESSIONAL GRIP CONTINUES TO WEAKEN ACROSS MULTIPLE VOTES
The Republican campaign operative said it is unclear why Hawley has broken with the administration on certain policies, speculating he might have 2028 aspirations.
“The polling I’ve seen shows that Republicans are in favor of the president’s actions in Venezuela,” the sourced added. “He would be out of step with our voters. I don’t think it’d bode well for him. I think this was one of the most unifying moments on the right, when the president successfully arrested Maduro and took him out the country. Him siding with the Democrats is bizarre.”
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“How has that worked out for Rand Paul or Massie,” the operative said, referring to Kentucky lawmakers’ ongoing policy spats with the president and administration.
Mamdani, President Trump have been texting at least twice a week — as unlikely bromance blossoms: sources
Hey, you up?
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and President Trump have been exchanging “friendly” missives at least twice a week — as the unlikely bromance between the socialist and conservative commander-in-chief continues to blossom, The Post has learned.
‘JUST SAY YES’: TRUMP CUTS IN AS NYC MAYOR-ELECT MAMDANI DODGES ON CALLING HIM A ‘FASCIST’ AT OVAL OFFICE
The former Astoria lawmaker and the Queens native have semi-regularly been chatting via text since their chummy White House meeting in November, discussing a wide range of topics, from the toppling of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and zoning red tape in Big Apple real estate, according to sources.
Insiders with knowledge of the conversation described the tone of the texts as “friendly.”
MAMDANI CALLS ICE DETENTION OF NYC EMPLOYEE ‘ASSAULT ON OUR DEMOCRACY’
“It wouldn’t make practical, political sense for them to scream at each other — in public or private,” one politico said, while also noting, “Of course, they can’t appear too cozy.”
The source added: “Mamdani would be smart to kiss Trump’s ass … Especially when the federal government can withhold billions from the city.”
The budding relationship and the regularity with which the two chat personally are a marked departure from previous interactions between presidents and New York City mayors in recent history.
MAMDANI STRONGLY CONDEMNS TRUMP’S CAPTURE OF VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO AS ‘ACT OF WAR’
Even Mamdani’s predecessor Mayor Eric Adams, who cozied up to Trump and rushed down to DC in the middle of the night to attend his inauguration last year, had to connect with the president through intermediaries.
Andrew Kirtzman, CEO of the strategic communications firm KSX, said it was “remarkable that Trump feels so comfortable with [Mamdani].”
“He hated (Bill) de Blasio, the last left-wing mayor, and probably felt estranged from the city because of it,” he said. “He seems to feel an emotional connection with Mamdani. The mayor must be totally amazed by what’s happening.”
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Asked how this might play with Mamdani’s base of Democratic Socialists of America members who despise the Republican White House, Kirtzman said he believed they’d likely give the lefty mayor a pass.
“I think the left understands this is purely transactional from Mamdani’s perspective,” he said.
Trump administration files seizure warrants targeting ships tied to Venezuelan oil trade: report
The Trump administration has filed court warrants in an effort to seize more ships linked to Venezuela’s oil trade, according to media reports.
So far, five vessels have been seized by the U.S. military and Coast Guard in recent weeks in international waters.
The seizures were part of the administration’s pressure campaign to force former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro out of power, which happened Jan. 3, when he was arrested by U.S. forces.
PRESIDENT TRUMP SAYS THERE WON’T BE A ‘SECOND WAVE OF ATTACKS’ AGAINST VENEZUELA DUE TO THEIR ‘COOPERATION’
After Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump said the United States would control Venezuela’s oil resources indefinitely.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and Justice Department.
Through federal courts, the U.S. government has filed multiple civil forfeiture actions to force the seizure and confiscation of oil cargo and ships that have been involved in the trade, the sources told Reuters.
It was not clear how many seizure warrants the U.S. is seeking.
US FORCES ATTEMPTING TO BOARD SANCTIONED RUSSIAN-FLAGGED OIL TANKER IN NORTH ATLANTIC, SOURCES SAY
On Friday, the War Department said it “will hunt down and interdict ALL dark fleet vessels transporting Venezuelan oil at the time and place of our choosing.”
“The Department of War blockade in the Caribbean Sea remains in full effect — and very effective,” Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell wrote on X. “In the past 24 hours alone, at least seven “dark fleet” oil vessels have turned around to avoid interdiction — because they know we mean business. The days of letting criminal activity run rampant in our hemisphere are OVER.”
A day earlier, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department was monitoring several other vessels amid news of the U.S. seizure of the Bella-1 tanker, a Russian-flagged oil vessel allegedly responsible for transporting sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.
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Russia, like Venezuela, relies on the shadow fleet to carry oil that is under sanctions.
Reporter’s Notebook: Republicans seek exit from Venezuela war powers debate after recently voting for it
President Donald Trump’s Senate allies could try to kill the war powers resolution before the Senate wades into the debate, Fox News has learned.
Fox News is told there is an effort to kill the bipartisan effort to debate the resolution blocking military action in Venezuela.
A bipartisan coalition of senators voted to launch this debate next week.
GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA
However, Fox is told that some Republicans are looking for an exit ramp – even though they voted yes last week to begin the debate.
It’s possible that some Republicans may try to force a vote to table or kill the war powers resolution – because it’s not applicable. The argument is that the U.S. has no troops in Venezuela. Therefore, this resolution is out of bounds.
GOP EYES VENEZUELA’S UNTAPPED OIL WEALTH AS DEMOCRATS SOUND ALARM OVER TAXPAYER RISK
It is also possible that Vice President JD Vance could be brought in to break a tie, Fox News was told. Keep in mind that a tie means the resolution fails. But if the Trump administration wants the prospective motion to table to pass – and kill the bill – Vance could be brought in to break a tie and pass the motion to kill it.
Fox is told that the Senate has successfully “discharged” the war powers resolution onto the floor. But there is still a vote to actually get into the resolution.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS RIP SENATE WAR POWERS PUSH AS “POLITICAL THEATER” AFTER TRUMP’S VENEZUELA RAID
It is only at that point that the Senate could vote to table the resolution.
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Otherwise, the Senate must burn all 10 hours on the resolution and then vote to table. Or, vote to table after all the time is yielded back.
Trump rips into GOP defectors as ‘real losers’ as Senate readies for final vote
President Donald Trump unloaded on a cohort of Senate Republicans who voted to rein in his policing powers in Venezuela, arguing that they couldn’t give a good reason to vote against him.
During remarks at the Detroit Economic Club following a tour of a Ford plant in Dearborn, Mich., Trump harangued Republicans for not staying unified, while declaring that, though congressional Democrats have bad policy, they “stick together like glue.”
“We got some real losers, mostly great,” Trump said of Republicans before tearing into Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Todd Young, R-Ind.
TRUMP BLASTS GOP WAR POWERS DEFECTORS, SAYS THEY ‘SHOULD NEVER BE ELECTED TO OFFICE AGAIN’
That foursome joined all Senate Democrats to vote in favor of Sen. Tim Kaine’s, D-Va., war powers resolution, which, if passed, would require Trump to receive congressional approval before further military force is used in Venezuela.
Lawmakers are expected to take a final vote on the resolution on Wednesday.
When Kaine’s effort initially advanced, Trump blasted the defectors and declared that they should “never be elected to office again.” With the vote fast approaching, Trump didn’t hesitate to make clear that their votes were still fresh on his mind.
He panned Paul for routinely voting against GOP policies, and then turned his sights to Murkowski, Collins and Young.
GOP EYES VENEZUELA’S UNTAPPED OIL WEALTH AS DEMOCRATS SOUND ALARM OVER TAXPAYER RISK
“Then you have Lisa Murkowski and you have Susan Collins, disasters,” Trump said. “And you had a gentleman from Indiana that, I don’t believe it, Todd Young, he voted against.”
“And you say, ‘Why are you voting against?’ They can’t give you an answer. They’re unable to give you an answer. It’s like, why are they against the attack on Venezuela? They’re against the attack,” he continued. “After they found out who was the most successful attack. Probably the most talented, most brilliant tactical attack that we’ve had maybe in 100 years. And they’re against it. Why?”
Paul has routinely voiced opposition to military action with congressional oversight; he’s a co-sponsor of Kaine’s resolution. Murkowski, Collins and Young had no issue with the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but they argued that their vote for the resolution last week was to ensure Congress’ authority to weigh in before future action.
5 GOP SENATORS JOIN DEMOCRATS TO STOP TRUMP FROM POLICING VENEZUELA
The White House and Senate Republican leadership have been working to flip the lawmakers in order to prevent the resolution from passing, but it may not be the successful pressure campaign that they had hoped for.
Collins, when asked if she would still vote in favor of the resolution after leaving the Senate GOP’s weekly closed-door policy lunch, said, “Wes.”
There was also a fifth Republican, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who voted to advance the resolution. Trump notably did not mention him during his speech.
That comes after Hawley spoke with several administration officials on what the next steps in Venezuela would be. Hawley said that he was told by officials that the administration would “abide by the statutory notification requirements, and also, if they took action that resulted in major ground operations would come back to Congress.”
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Hawley didn’t say if that would flip his vote and noted that he was in “listening and receive mode at this time.” Still, it did go a long way to address his biggest issue of boots on the ground in Venezuela.
“The administration’s view is that the resolution is way broader than ground troops, and I said, ‘Well, you know, and I didn’t draft the resolution, but my concern is about ground troops in Venezuela without congressional authorization,’” Hawley said.
Why would a city mayor defend a dictator while his own streets continue to burn?
As I continue my walk across America from Atlanta into Alabama, I’ve met countless everyday heroes — hardworking parents, devoted friends, and faithful community builders — who pour their lives into lifting up neighbors and restoring hope in forgotten neighborhoods. Their quiet sacrifices rarely make headlines, but they produce real, lasting change. That is why I’ve been deeply dismayed by leaders back home in Chicago and across the nation who seem far more eager to defend Nicolás Maduro, a brutal dictator whose regime has tortured, starved, and crushed its own people — rather than confront the rampant violence, poverty, and failing schools devastating far too many American communities.
After President Donald Trump’s decisive action to remove Maduro, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson chose not to stand for justice or human rights. Instead, he condemned the move as an “illegal regime change abroad” and claimed it was “solely about oil and power.” He even linked it to the “dehumanization of migrants from Venezuela” by the “far right.” He has since doubled down through multiple posts on X — as if defending a tyrant who has driven millions to flee their homeland is somehow compassionate.
As I press on with this walk, my faith reminds me that God calls us to justice and truth, not to prop up tyrants or play politics with people’s lives.
Why would a city mayor, with no international authority, insert himself into global affairs like this? I understand that local governance may not feel revolutionary enough. But supporting Maduro’s government — with its documented record of torture and extrajudicial killings — isn’t solidarity. It’s siding with evil.
WALKING ACROSS AMERICA SHOWED ME WHY FAITH AND FREE THOUGHT CAN STILL WIN
Johnson isn’t the only one. Leftist mayors like New York’s Zohran Mamdani and Los Angeles’ Karen Bass reflect a troubling pattern, aligning with anti-American narratives that prioritize ideological posturing over real suffering and crises within their own cities.
These mayors were elected to fix potholes, improve schools, and reduce crime — yet they spend invaluable time and energy condemning Trump while effectively giving dictators carte blanche. Do they not care about the people in their own backyards? Or are they advancing some international agenda that undermines the American Dream right here at home?
This distraction is painfully evident in Chicago, where our streets are plagued with violence and our children are trapped in underperforming schools. Yet, the Chicago Teachers Union jumped into the fray. On X, they promoted an “emergency protest” against what it called “U.S. aggression against Venezuela,” calling to “STOP THE BOMBINGS” and framing the situation as imperialist war.
Their X post urged people to join them at Chicago’s Federal Plaza. The post was co-sponsored by groups like the Anti-War Committee and the Party for Socialism and Liberation. Why is a teachers’ union, which should be focused on raising literacy rates and preparing kids for success, rallying for a regime that has crushed its own people’s freedoms? And why are taxpayers footing the bill?
It gets worse. I recently saw a Freedom Foundation post stating that the CTU took a trip to Venezuela to “visit with government officials and teachers and tour communes.” I don’t even know what “tour communes” are, but what is the CTU doing in Venezuela and, again, why on the taxpayer’s dime?
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This is not about peace. This is about ideology. When politics becomes a false religion, it breeds rage and division, and it pulls us away from the faith and merit that build strong communities.
My walk is about reclaiming that foundation. Everywhere I go, I talk to Americans who believe in earning success through hard work, not handouts or excuses. Restoring merit means teaching trades, fostering entrepreneurship, and instilling values that lift people out of poverty — like the work being done at Project H.O.O.D. back in Chicago’s South Side. Restoring merit means believing in America.
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At this point, we must be brutally honest. These mayors are not here to help us. Where’s their progress? It isn’t there. They don’t believe in America. They don’t believe in us, the Americans. The reality is that “We the People” have to lead. It’s on us. We have to be the change. We have to step outside our doors and talk to our neighbors and take steps to help, however small they may be.
As I press on with this walk, my faith reminds me that God calls us to justice and truth, not to prop up tyrants or play politics with people’s lives. The American Dream isn’t about siding with dictators. It’s about creating opportunity for all, earned through merit and perseverance. It’s about believing in America.
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House Republicans rip Senate war powers push as ‘political theater’ after Trump’s Venezuela raid
House Republicans are condemning efforts to curb Trump’s military authority to operate in Venezuela, pouring cold water on a war powers resolution making its way through the Senate.
To Rep. Mark Messmer, R-Ind., there’s a bright line for when Congress might need to consider it, and in his estimation, the president hasn’t crossed it.
“If we’re going to be there for an extended period, [Trump] needs congressional authority to do that. To do what he did last weekend does not,” Messmer said Thursday, referring to the Jan. 3 military operation when the United States apprehended Nicolás Maduro by force.
MARCO RUBIO EMERGES AS KEY TRUMP POWER PLAYER AFTER VENEZUELA OPERATION
The Senate measure, spearheaded by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., would require President Donald Trump to secure congressional approval to conduct any further military activity in Venezuela, citing the legal requirements laid out by the Constitution for U.S. entry into wars. The Senate’s resolution comes as Democrats have slammed Trump for his capture of Maduro in an operation earlier this month.
In its initial consideration in the Senate, five Republican lawmakers joined with Democrats to advance the measure.
Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., believes their support is a misunderstanding of the Constitution — a mischaracterization of what took place in Venezuela.
“The War Powers Resolution has never been ruled constitutional,” Tenney said, referring to past efforts to reel in the power of the executive.
“This is also partially a law enforcement action. Maduro and his wife and others were indicted in a court, in a federal court. [Trump] has very, very meticulously carried out law enforcement action in addition to securing our national security interests in the Western Hemisphere,” Tenney said.
INSIDE THE LIGHTNING US STRIKE THAT OVERWHELMED VENEZUELA’S DEFENSES AND SEIZED MADURO
Rep. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind., echoed Tenney’s reasoning, arguing that the U.S. capture of Maduro had more in common with a law-enforcement operation than an act of war.
“This is an arrest. There was an incitement,” Stutzman said.
“And that was before the Trump administration. There was a bounty put on his head by the Biden administration of $25 million. This was an arrest,” Stutzman added.
Like other Republicans, Rep. Ben Cline, R-Va., argued that the narrow use of presidential powers to enforce laws falls well within the president’s authority. In his view, Congress would be going out of its way to unnecessarily restrain Trump’s use of the military without a good reason to do so.
“We are not going to war against Venezuela. Congress’ power is to declare war and that’s not something that we anticipate happening right now. So, to limit [Trump’s] authority is counterproductive and unnecessary,” Cline said.
On a more practical level, Messmer noted that Trump would likely veto the war powers resolution anyway — even if it did somehow clear both chambers of Congress.
US RAID IN VENEZUELA SIGNALS DETERRENCE TO ADVERSARIES ON THREE FRONTS, EXPERTS SAY
“Ultimately, the president has to sign it, and what’s the likelihood of that? It’s just political theater at this point,” Messmer said.
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Having cleared its first procedural hurdle, the Senate will continue to consider Kaine’s war powers resolution. It must secure 60 votes to succeed.
Cuba’s president defiant, says no negotiations scheduled as Trump moves to choke off oil lifeline
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel declared Monday that his administration is not negotiating with Washington, despite President Donald Trump’s threats to push Cuba into a deal now that Venezuelan oil will no longer be supplied.
“There are no conversations with the U.S. government, except for technical contacts in the migration field,” Díaz-Canel said in a post on X.
Díaz-Canel continued to denounce the U.S., accusing it of applying hostile pressure on the island, and insisted that negotiations would only take place if they are conducted in accordance with international law.
“As history demonstrates, relations between the U.S. and Cuba, in order to advance, must be based on International Law rather than on hostility, threats, and economic coercion,” he said.
TRUMP ADMIN TO CONTROL VENEZUELAN OIL SALES IN RADICAL SHIFT AIMED AT RESTARTING CRUDE FLOW
“We have always been willing to engage in a serious and responsible dialogue with the various governments of the United States, including the current one, on the basis of sovereign equality, mutual respect, principles of International Law, reciprocal benefit without interference in internal affairs and with full respect for our independence,” Canel added.
On Sunday, Trump declared that Cuba would no longer receive oil or money from Venezuela, a move that would sever Havana’s longtime energy and financial lifeline.
The announcement came after a stunning Jan. 3 operation in Venezuela, in which American forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and reportedly killed at least 32 Cuban personnel.
VENEZUELAN OIL SHIPMENTS SURGE TO US PORTS WITH HEAVY CRUDE AFTER MADURO CAPTURE
“THERE WILL BE NO MORE OIL OR MONEY GOING TO CUBA – ZERO! I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” he warned.
Cuba has long depended on imported oil to keep its aging power grid running. Before the U.S. attack on Venezuela, Havana was receiving 35,000 barrels a day from Venezuela, roughly 7,500 from Russia and some 5,500 barrels daily from Mexico, The Associated Press reported, citing Jorge Piñón of the Energy Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, who tracks the shipments.
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Even with Venezuelan oil imports, Cuba has suffered widespread blackouts in recent years due to persistent fuel shortages, an aging and crumbling electric grid and damage from hurricanes that have battered the island’s infrastructure.
Now, with U.S. sanctions tightening on both Russian and Venezuelan oil, blackouts could worsen as Havana’s leaders reject Trump’s call to strike a deal.
Reporter’s Notebook: GOP rebels defy Trump as congressional grip continues to weaken across multiple votes
President Donald Trump’s grip on the Republican-controlled Congress is not quite what it was.
Republicans in Congress dealt the president two blows in recent days and came within shouting distance of two more.
That’s not to say that the president’s influence among the GOP is completely waning on Capitol Hill. Congressional Republicans are still a pro-MAGA group. But something is different.
2026 is an election year. Some Republicans are trained on their own re-election chances. You don’t even have to squint to see some fractures among Republicans when it comes to supporting the president on individual issues.
SHOWDOWN FOR THE HOUSE: DEMOCRATS, REPUBLICANS BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES MIDTERM CLASH
The striking examples came within hours of each other last Thursday.
In the fall, the Senate narrowly rejected a motion to begin a debate about U.S. military action in the Caribbean. All 47 senators who caucus with the Democrats voted in favor of starting the debate. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, and Rand Paul, R-Ky., joined the Democrats, bringing the yeas to 49. So two votes were needed to agree to the motion and begin a debate. Remember, a 50-50 tie loses in the Senate. It was a close call.
But last week, three more GOP senators voted with Democrats to initiate debate on another war powers resolution after Trump ordered the strike on Venezuela. Sens. Todd Young, R-Ind., Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Josh Hawley, R-Mo., aligned this time with Paul and Murkowski.
It was a brushback pitch for the president. Hawley opposed the war powers resolution regarding strikes in the Caribbean last fall. But the move against Venezuela moved Hawley to a yes on the revamped measure.
“We don’t know what might happen in Venezuela. We may want to commit troops,” said Hawley. “I just think that in that eventuality, Congress would need to then be on the hook for it.”
“The previous votes have been more hypothetical. This vote’s about a real incursion. It’s about a real invasion of a foreign country,” said Paul.
Sen. John Husted, R-Ohio, supported the administration’s position that it had constitutional prerogative to hit Venezuela without congressional authorization and voted no. But even Husted understood why some of his colleagues switched their votes.
2026 DEADLINES LOOM AS CONGRESS LEAVES DC WITH SEVERAL UNFINISHED BATTLES
The reason? Saber-rattling.
“The rhetoric around Greenland has probably been the issue that’s driven this the most,” said Husted. “I think everybody’s really excited about how well things have gone in Venezuela, but they don’t like the idea that perhaps things could go differently as it relates to Greenland.”
Trump says the U.S. will do “something” on Greenland, “whether they like it or not.”
And that’s to say nothing about threats of possibly hitting Venezuela again. Moving against Cuba. Even Colombia. And after major protests, Iran could be in the mix, too.
“Bombing may rally people to the regime instead of weakening it. You can’t drop bombs in the middle of protests and protect civilians,” cautioned Paul on ABC.
Others are concerned about overextending the military. Especially without guidance from Capitol Hill.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., is the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.
“The president has said we’re going to take Venezuelan oil. It will take two years to rebuild the Venezuelan oil infrastructure. Is our fleet going to stay there for two years?” asked Warner on Fox.
The Senate is now poised to debate the issue and vote in the coming days. But it’s unclear whether voting to begin debate on such an issue is the same as actually voting to undercut the president.
Trump shot out a message saying Republicans should be “ashamed” of the five who voted alongside the Democrats. He added that the five renegades “should never be elected to office again.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., backed the president, describing the votes by the five as “a gift” to Venezuela.
TRUMP BLASTS GOP WAR POWERS DEFECTORS, SAYS THEY ‘SHOULD NEVER BE ELECTED TO OFFICE AGAIN’
“They’re dead wrong,” said Graham. “They’re going to own screwing up the best chance we’ve ever had to liberate the people of Venezuela.”
Vice President JD Vance downplayed GOPers voting to harness the authority of the president.
“We talked to some of the senators who are going to vote the wrong way, in my view, on this resolution today. Much of their argument was based more on a legal technicality than any disagreement of policy,” said Vance. “Every president, Democrat or Republican, believes the War Powers Act is fundamentally a fake unconstitutional law.”
But Vance might not have seen it that way when he served as a Republican senator from Ohio. In October 2023, Vance was among 11 bipartisan senators who voted in favor of debating presidential war authority in Niger. Vance was among 13 bipartisan colleagues two months later who voted to begin debate on a resolution to block military action by President Joe Biden in Syria.
We’ll know by the end of the week if pressure by the administration prompts Republicans who sided with the Democrats to reverse themselves and stick with the president, or if they vote to hinder him on war powers and potential future intervention in Venezuela.
It was the House’s turn to throw some legislative chin music at the president a few hours later last Thursday. The House voted 230-196 on a Democratic bill to renew now-expired Obamacare subsidies for three years. In December, four House Republicans teamed with Democrats to engineer a parliamentary gambit to go around House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and force a vote on the floor.
While there were only four House Republicans who signed on to the Democratic parliamentary gambit in December, that number grew to 13 GOPers on a procedural vote to bring up the bill last week. It then blossomed to 17 Republicans on final passage. Everyone expected members like Reps. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., and Ryan Mackenzie, R-Pa., to vote yes. But there were lots of surprises from Republicans who never hinted interest in this particular bill before. That includes Reps. Derrick Van Orden, R-Wis., Rob Wittman, R-Va., and Mike Carey, R-Ohio.
“There’s a lot of people in the 3rd Congressional District that depend on these programs. And as a Navy SEAL, I always acted lawfully. But I did a lot of things that made me very uncomfortable doing. But it had to get done because otherwise the mission would fail. This mission is America, and it’s the people in my district,” said Van Orden.
HOUSE GOP CAMPAIGN CHAIR WANTS TRUMP ‘OUT THERE ON THE TRAIL’ IN MIDTERM BATTLE FOR MAJORITY
Carey even referenced the “Unaffordable ACA Subsidy Extension Vote” in a news release. But Carey pointed out that “close to 45,000 Ohioans in our district currently have these plans, and I want to make sure that they do not lose access to a plan that they have relied on as Congress continues addressing the high cost of healthcare.”
All of this came just after the president asked Republicans to have “flexibility” on abortion as they work on healthcare — something which is anathema to many pro-life conservatives. And the president threatened to veto that bill if it ever made it through the Senate, which is doubtful.
Speaking of vetoes, Trump unexpectedly vetoed two bills that moved unanimously through Congress last year. One bill would finish a pipeline to bring drinking water to southwestern Colorado. Another bill would give the Miccosukee Tribe in Florida control over 30 acres of land in the Everglades and allow them to protect it against tropical storm flooding events.
Trump said he vetoed the Colorado bill because Democrat Gov. Jared Polis was “bad.” The Miccosukee Tribe sued over the construction of “Alligator Alcatraz” in the Everglades.
The House voted 248-177 with one member voting “present” on the Colorado bill. That’s a majority. But veto overrides require two-thirds. With 425 members casting ballots (the “present” vote doesn’t count against the total), the House needed 284 yeas to override.
The veto override on the Everglades bill was 236-188. Again, a majority. But with 425 members voting, a successful override needed 283 yeas.
Congress has only overridden a presidential veto 112 times in U.S. history, and it’s notable that a chunk of Republicans went against the president on both issues.
Now some Republicans are taking on the president over the administration’s criminal investigation of Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell.
“It is now the independence and credibility of the Department of Justice that are in question,” said Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., a member of the Banking Committee. “I will oppose the confirmation of any nominee for the Fed — including the upcoming Fed Chair vacancy — until this legal matter is fully resolved.”
The composition of the Banking Committee is 13-11 in favor of Republicans. So a defection by Tillis would, at minimum, produce a tie. That could impede confirmation of Powell’s successor.
Frankly, these rebellions are no different from what many presidents endure from members of their own party from time to time, especially in an election year. Lawmakers sometimes need to put real estate between themselves and the president. Other lawmakers believe that the president’s political amperage is not what it once was.
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We are now moving into the second year of Trump’s term. But in many ways, this is “year six” of the Trump presidency — having served from 2017-2021. Some Republicans started to abandon President George H.W. Bush in the sixth year of his presidency over Iraq. President Ronald Reagan witnessed the same phenomenon during year six over Iran-Contra. And certainly President Richard Nixon experienced this during Watergate in 1974.
There’s no evidence of a mass exodus among congressional Republicans when it comes to Trump, but there are fissures. And that’s why the president may not have the same near-lockstep backing he enjoyed from congressional Republicans in 2026 that he enjoyed in 2025.
Trump declares himself Venezuela’s ‘acting president’ in online post after Maduro ouster
President Donald Trump branded himself as the “president” of Venezuela in a social media post Sunday night, after signaling that the U.S. would oversee Caracas, Venezuela, for years.
Trump shared a doctored image that looked like a Wikipedia page that identified him as “Acting President of Venezuela” since January 2026, after the U.S. conducted strikes in Venezuela and seized its dictator, Nicolás Maduro.
Trump said Jan. 3 that the U.S. would run Venezuela until a safe transition could occur, and he told The New York Times in an interview published Wednesday that he anticipated that the U.S. would oversee Venezuela “much longer” than six months or a year. Even so, he did not share a more detailed estimated timeline.
The social media post also comes as the Trump administration has sought to reassert U.S. dominance in the Western Hemisphere, and has claimed it’s revived the Monroe Doctrine, rebranded as the “Don-roe Doctrine,” which originally sought to limit European influence in Latin America and to protect U.S. influence in the region.
TRUMP EMBRACES US INTERVENTION IN VENEZUELA, OPENS DOOR TO BROADER LATIN AMERICA PUSH
The Monroe Doctrine, first introduced in 1823 by President James Monroe, eventually was used to justify U.S. actions in the region as an “international police power” under President Theodore Roosevelt, according to the National Archives.
In response to questions from Fox News Digital regarding whether the post was shared jokingly, and what it suggests about how long the U.S. will be involved in running Venezuela, White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly told Fox News Digital: “President Trump will be the greatest President for the American and Venezuelan people in history. Congratulations, world!”
Trump announced Jan. 3 that U.S. special forces conducted a “large-scale strike” against Caracas, Venezuela, and seized Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. Both were taken to New York and appeared in a Manhattan federal court Jan. 5 on drug charges, where they each pleaded not guilty.
TRUMP’S VENEZUELA STRIKE SPARKS CONSTITUTIONAL CLASH AS MADURO IS HAULED INTO US
The raid came after months of pressure on Venezuela and more than two dozen strikes in Latin American waters against alleged drug traffickers as part of Trump’s effort to crack down on the influx of drugs into the U.S.
The Trump administration routinely stated that it did not recognize Maduro as a legitimate head of state and said he was the leader of a drug cartel. Likewise, Trump said in December 2025 he believed it would be “smart” for Maduro to step down.
The Trump administration has justified seizing Maduro as a “law enforcement” operation, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio said congressional approval wasn’t necessary since the operation didn’t amount to an “invasion.”
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However, lawmakers primarily on the left have questioned the legality of the operation in Venezuela, which was conducted without Congress’ approval.
“This has been a profound constitutional failure,” Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement Jan. 3. “Congress — not the President — has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power.”