House Republicans rejected a pair of Democratic-backed resolutions Wednesday that would have put a check on power to use military force against drug cartels and the nation of Venezuela.
Florida Republican lawmakers, including from South Florida, joined with a majority of Republicans in opposition to restricting Trump's ability to go after "narco-terrorist cartels" and Venezuela President Nicol谩s Maduro.
鈥淭he War Powers Resolution does not apply to law enforcement or counter-narcotics operations against indicted terrorists like Nicol谩s Maduro," said U.S. Rep. Mar铆a Elvira Salazar, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, before the House vote on the resolutions.
"What the President is doing does not require congressional approval," she said.
锘�
鈥淲hen Maduro is gone and democracy is restored, Venezuela can once again be the most prosperous country in the Caribbean,鈥� she added. 鈥淭his resolution would only tie the President鈥檚 hands.鈥濓豢锘�
Democrats favor invoking War Powers Act
All eight Florida congressional Democrats, including South Florida鈥檚 five U.S. Representatives, voted in favor of the two resolutions to invoke the , which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war.
鈥淭he President has failed to present a clear strategy to Congress or the American people,鈥� said the Democratic lawmakers in a joint statement. 鈥淗e has justified his strikes with baseless claims about 鈥榁enezuelan fentanyl鈥� while pardoning major drug traffickers.
"The President seems more concerned with maximizing oil profits and separating families than bringing the Maduro regime to justice.
鈥淣o president can launch military action without the consent of Congress. Allowing this operation to continue without that consultation would set a dangerous precedent that is incompatible with our system of checks and balances.
鈥淩eestablishing the balance of power between Congress and the White House on a topic as serious as war is essential."
Voting in favor of the two resolutions from South Florida: U.S. Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, Lois Frankel, D-Boca Raton, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, and Jared Moskowitz, D-Parkland. Other Florida Democrats voting in favor of the resolutions were U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, Darren Soto, D-Orlando, and Maxwell Frost, D-Orlando.
The Democratic lawmakers strongly condemn 鈥渢he brutality of the Maduro dictatorship,鈥� but called Trump鈥檚 decision to end legal immigration status to 600,000 Venezuelans in the U.S. as 鈥渉ypocritical.鈥�
鈥淚t is hypocritical to claim Venezuela is safe enough to send back innocent people, while also declaring it dangerous enough that we need to send in troops,鈥� they said.
READ MORE: Trump orders ban on sanctioned oil tankers traveling to and from Venezuela
鈥淲e will stand with the Venezuelan people as they seek a free and democratic Venezuela. We will fight to reverse President Trump鈥檚 vicious assault on law-abiding Venezuelans with [Temporary Protected Status].鈥�
鈥淲e will not give the President a blank check to exploit their pain and hardship to usurp Congress's power to authorize the use of force,鈥� they said.
Threats against Venezuela
This week, Democrats in Congress forced the votes using war powers resolutions after Trump stepped up his threats against the South American nation. Lawmakers have questioned how the U.S. military is conducting a campaign that has allegedly carrying drugs and killed at least 99 people, including an attack on Wednesday.
The legislation would have forced the Trump administration to seek authorization from Congress before continuing attacks against cartels that it deems to be terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere or launching an attack on Venezuela itself.
They were the first votes in the House on Trump's military campaign in Central and South America. A majority of Republicans in the Senate had , and Trump would almost certainly veto them if they were to pass Congress. But Democrats forced the votes as a way to bring up a debate about the military campaign and force Republicans to go on the record about supporting it.
Republican leaders have increasingly expressed support for Trump's campaign, even as it potentially escalates into a direct confrontation with Venezuelan President .
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said earlier Wednesday that he didn't know whether the Trump administration had 鈥減ublicly stated鈥� that they wanted regime change, but 鈥淚 would certainly not have a problem if that was their position.鈥�
鈥淢aduro is a cancer on that continent,鈥� added Thune, R-S.D.
Still, the Trump administration has not sought congressional authorization for its recent actions in the Caribbean, arguing instead that it just as it would handle terrorist threats against the U.S. That rationale, however, has led to deep scrutiny of the strikes, especially after it was revealed that a Sept. 2 operation killed two people who had survived an initial attack.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
