The U.S. House of Representatives voted Wednesday evening on two separate War Powers Resolutions aimed at restricting actions by President Donald Trump and his administration related to anti–narco-terrorism operations in the Western Hemisphere.
Both measures failed, preserving the administration’s ability to continue military actions against designated terrorist organizations and drug trafficking networks.
The first resolution was introduced by Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
The measure sought “to remove United States Armed Forces from hostilities with presidentially designated terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere” unless such actions were “authorized by a declaration of war or a specific congressional authorization for use of military force against such presidentially designated terrorist organization.”
The resolution would have restricted the Trump administration’s ability to conduct operations targeting narco-terrorist groups, including maritime interdictions involving members of Tren de Aragua and other criminal organizations.
The measure failed by a vote of 210–216.
🚨 BREAKING: House of Representatives rejects Democrat-led effort to preemptively disarm President Trump from defending America from narcoterrorists. pic.twitter.com/hzwXJET1DT
— House Foreign Affairs Committee Majority (@HouseForeignGOP) December 17, 2025
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Most Democrats voted in favor of the resolution, joined by two Republicans: Rep. Don Bacon of Nebraska and Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky. Two Democrats, Rep. Henry Cuellar of Texas and Rep. Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, voted against the measure along with the majority of Republicans.
A second War Powers Resolution, introduced by Rep. Jim McGovern of Massachusetts, the ranking member of the House Rules Committee, focused specifically on Venezuela.
That measure sought the “removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress,” unless such actions were “explicitly authorized by a declaration of war or specific statutory authorization for use of military force.”
The second resolution failed by a narrower margin, 211–213.
Reps. Bacon and Massie again voted with Democrats, joined this time by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia.
Rep. Cuellar was the only Democrat to vote against the Venezuela-specific measure.
Speaking on the House floor, McGovern argued against the administration’s actions, stating, “this is not ‘America first.’”
Other lawmakers sharply disagreed with that assessment. Rep. Carlos Gimenez of Florida defended the administration’s approach and warned against limiting U.S. actions against narco-terrorist regimes.
“Let’s be clear-eyed about the danger that we face,” Gimenez said.
“The Maduro regime is a Designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, a narco-terrorist state that collaborates with other Foreign Terrorist Organizations and violent cartels to flood our hemisphere and our communities with deadly poison.”
Gimenez continued by outlining the scope of the threat posed by Venezuela’s government.
The regime, he said, “uses their land as an operating base for international drug trafficking, fueling a crisis that has cost nearly 400,000 Americans their lives since 2021.”
He warned that passing the resolution would signal weakness to hostile actors close to U.S. borders.
“This resolution would have us pull back from the fight against designated terrorist regimes and cartels in our own hemisphere — our own hemisphere — just miles from our shores,” Gimenez said.
“It tells the foreign terrorist regime in Venezuela and its criminal allies that Congress is willing to look the other way as hundreds of thousands of Americans continue to die every single year.”
NEWS —> I took the House Floor ONCE AGAIN to OPPOSE any attempt to undermine President Trump’s #AmericaFirst mission in #Venezuela.
We must protect our nation from these brutal narcoterrorists! 🇺🇸🤝🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/GVzll0Gulu
— Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (@RepCarlos) December 17, 2025
The votes highlighted divisions within both parties over the scope of presidential authority and the use of military force in combating drug trafficking and organized crime tied to foreign governments.
While Democrats largely supported both resolutions, a small number broke with party leadership.
On the Republican side, most members opposed the measures, though a handful voted with Democrats.
The House votes came amid ongoing debate over U.S. military actions connected to Venezuela and broader anti–narco-terrorism operations in the region.
Earlier this week, Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania addressed similar concerns after receiving classified briefings on U.S. actions tied to Venezuela.
According to comments reported earlier, Fetterman said that “classified briefings reassured him that U.S. military actions tied to Venezuela are targeted and intelligence-driven, and not the start of a broader or prolonged operation.”
With both War Powers Resolutions defeated, the Trump administration retains its current authority to continue military and interdiction efforts against designated narco-terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere, including actions involving Venezuela.
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