In a last-ditch effort to block US President Donald Trump's planned war on Venezuela, Democrats and anti-war groups have turned to an unlikely ally: MAGA Republicans.
With the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier set to arrive in the Caribbean, time is running out for lawmakers to act. The Senate is poised to vote on a War Powers Resolution preventing strikes against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with some lawmakers hoping to sway Republican votes to join Democrats in opposition.
But while many Trump supporters have shied away from regime change wars abroad, others – including some prominent figures within the MAGA movement – are taking a hawkish stance. This has created a rift within the Republican Party, with anti-interventionist elements hoping to exploit it.
The latest push comes after a similar effort failed to stop Trump's administration from striking Iran last year. Advocates have pointed to the experience of Libya under former President Barack Obama, where intervention led to a massive influx of immigrants into Europe.
"We're not taking advice from the neocons," said Erik Sperling, whose group Just Foreign Policy signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject the war resolution. "Voting for this resolution is a vote against the Rubio approach inspired by the Bush-Cheney years."
Rubio has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters on Latin America policy, and some MAGA figures have criticized Obama's approach in Libya as flawed.
However, not all Republican lawmakers are swayed by the hawkish stance. Senator Rand Paul, who co-sponsored the original War Powers Resolution last month, is expected to vote in favor of Thursday night's measure, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Meanwhile, Democrats and anti-war groups are pointing out that military action against Venezuela could lead to "nation-building" – something Trump has previously disdained. California Rep. Ro Khanna warned that the American people are "sick and tired of endless regime change wars."
The latest development comes as the White House appears increasingly divided on its approach to Venezuela. With the US poised to deploy its aircraft carrier, tensions between lawmakers and the administration have never been higher.
As The Intercept notes, Trump's approach has drawn comparisons to authoritarian governments around the world – a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked executive power.
With the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier set to arrive in the Caribbean, time is running out for lawmakers to act. The Senate is poised to vote on a War Powers Resolution preventing strikes against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with some lawmakers hoping to sway Republican votes to join Democrats in opposition.
But while many Trump supporters have shied away from regime change wars abroad, others – including some prominent figures within the MAGA movement – are taking a hawkish stance. This has created a rift within the Republican Party, with anti-interventionist elements hoping to exploit it.
The latest push comes after a similar effort failed to stop Trump's administration from striking Iran last year. Advocates have pointed to the experience of Libya under former President Barack Obama, where intervention led to a massive influx of immigrants into Europe.
"We're not taking advice from the neocons," said Erik Sperling, whose group Just Foreign Policy signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject the war resolution. "Voting for this resolution is a vote against the Rubio approach inspired by the Bush-Cheney years."
Rubio has been one of Trump's most vocal supporters on Latin America policy, and some MAGA figures have criticized Obama's approach in Libya as flawed.
However, not all Republican lawmakers are swayed by the hawkish stance. Senator Rand Paul, who co-sponsored the original War Powers Resolution last month, is expected to vote in favor of Thursday night's measure, along with Senator Lisa Murkowski.
Meanwhile, Democrats and anti-war groups are pointing out that military action against Venezuela could lead to "nation-building" – something Trump has previously disdained. California Rep. Ro Khanna warned that the American people are "sick and tired of endless regime change wars."
The latest development comes as the White House appears increasingly divided on its approach to Venezuela. With the US poised to deploy its aircraft carrier, tensions between lawmakers and the administration have never been higher.
As The Intercept notes, Trump's approach has drawn comparisons to authoritarian governments around the world – a stark reminder of the dangers of unchecked executive power.
! I'm so done with all these politicians going back and forth on war. Can't they just decide what's best for America already? 
Interesting that some Republicans are supporting this war, it shows there's more to them than meets the eye 
. And what about the people living in Venezuela, do we really care if they're stable or not? 
The more I hear about this, the more I think we should just stay out of it and let them sort it out themselves 
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. We need to have a more nuanced conversation about how to address Venezuela's problems without resorting to violence or regime change. I just hope we can find a way forward that doesn't lead to chaos 
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. Not sure how much good that's gonna do, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next 
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43% of Repubs think war is inevitable lol just 27% of them actually support it tho 
1 in 5 Repubs who oppose the war say they're swayed by Rubio's hawkish stance 
with 45% of americans saying he has no business making foreign policy decisions 
... some want to take down Maduro, while others are all about non-intervention 
. Meanwhile, Democrats and anti-war groups are trying to find common ground with MAGA Republicans who've surprisingly come out in opposition 
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... and this could lead to another mess like Libya 
. I'm all for finding alternative solutions that don't involve regime change 
... maybe we can work with Maduro to address some of Venezuela's issues 
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... and it's hard to see how military action in Venezuela fits into that narrative 
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... they seem like the only ones willing to have a nuanced conversation about this issue 
. And hey, maybe we can learn from Obama's Libya experience 
... instead of repeating the same mistakes 
.
The more voices that speak out against war, the better! 
so like trump wants to invade venezuela but then maga repubs are all "nah we're good" kinda weird that some of them are supporting Maduro lol anyway i think its gonna be a close vote and whoever wins is gonna regret it trust me on this one 
. And what's really crazy is that some of Trump's own people are taking the hawkish stance 
- all grand speeches and no actual plan 
. Bring it on, I guess!
. The whole nation-building thing is a concern for me too – we've been down this road before and it's never pretty 
. There's a bigger agenda at play here, and once we uncover it... well, let's just say it's gonna be a wild ride 