The Senate, the upper house of Congress - the US parliament, today, with 52 votes in favor and 47 against, put into procedure the text of a resolution that would limit the ability of Republican US President Donald Trump to carry out further attacks on Venezuela, to which Trump responded by claiming that this "undermines American self-defense and national security."
In doing so, the upper house, the Senate, in which the Republicans have a majority, let Trump know that it does not agree with his growing ambitions in the Western Hemisphere.
The resolution itself is scheduled to be voted on next week.
There is no chance of it becoming law, because it needs to be passed by the lower house of Congress, the House of Representatives, and then signed by Trump himself.
It is, however, a significant indicator of unrest among some Republicans after the US military invaded Venezuela last week, kidnapped its leader, Nicolas Maduro, and took him to New York to stand trial for "narco-terrorism" against the US.
All opposition Democratic senators, as well as five Republican senators, voted in favor of introducing a resolution to limit the president's war powers.
The Trump administration would like to control Venezuela's oil resources, and even its government itself, but a war powers resolution would impose an obligation on Trump to seek approval from Congress for any further attack.
Republicans who voted for the resolution included Josh Hawley of Missouri, Rand Paul of Kentucky, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Susan Collins of Maine and Todd Young of Indiana.
Regarding their joining the Democrats in voting for the resolution, Trump announced on social media that they "should never be elected to public office again" and that their votes "greatly undermine American self-defense and national security."
Democrats have tried unsuccessfully to push through such a resolution so far, as Trump has ramped up his campaign against Venezuela, but now, with Maduro in the corner and his sights set on Danish Greenland, the vote gives Congress the ability to "control military action of that kind," said Democratic Senator Tim Kaine.
"It's time to take this out of the closet and into the open," added Kay, who insisted on today's vote.
Republican leaders say they were not notified that the nighttime raid on Venezuela and the capture of Maduro would even take place, but most have expressed satisfaction with the action.
When Democrats tried to push a similar resolution through in November, it failed because only two Republican senators, Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, supported it.
Rand Paul told reporters after the vote that "it's interesting to see that more and more people now, at least on my side (Republican), are interested in who has the prerogative for war, who had the prerogative to initiate or declare war."
The Trump administration has used a growing array of disparate legal justifications for its months-long campaign in Central and South America, from destroying alleged drug ships under global counterterrorism authority to capturing Maduro in a purported police operation to stand trial in the United States.
Some progressive Democrats have proposed inserting language into the December Defense Appropriations Act that would limit certain military actions, but the idea has met with resistance from more pragmatic members of the group who have tried to portray Trump's foreign ambitions as a deliberate distraction from problems at home.
"The American people are wondering what the hell is going on in Venezuela and why this president, who campaigned on 'America First,' is now spending all his time and energy on adventures abroad?" said Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York.
Congress was once again left in the dark about the military operation in Venezuela, with Trump later confirming that he had spoken to oil executives but not to lawmakers. This reflects a broader pattern in Trump's second term, which is being conducted under Republican control of Congress, and that body has shown little interest in its sole constitutional authority to declare war.
Under the Constitution, the U.S. Congress declares war while the president is commander in chief. But lawmakers have not formally declared war since World War II, giving presidents broad latitude to act independently.
Congress attempted to limit this authority after the Vietnam War with the War Powers Act, passed over the veto of Republican President Richard Nixon. The law requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying forces and to end military action within 60 to 90 days, a requirement that has been exceeded by presidents of both parties.
Democrats argue that these restrictions are increasingly being relaxed, and some Republicans have gone even further, arguing that congressional authorization for war is completely unnecessary.
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, a close Trump ally, said he would be fine with Trump "taking over other countries" without congressional approval, including Denmark's Greenland.
"The commander in chief is the commander in chief. He can use military force," Graham said.
The Trump administration is now considering not only its next steps in Venezuela, but also in Greenland. The White House has said that "the military is always an option" and on the issue of a potential American takeover of the world's largest island.
Republicans cited Greenland's strategic value, but most opposed the idea of using the military to take over the island. Some favored a potential deal to buy Greenland from Denmark, while others acknowledged that it was an unlikely option because both Denmark and Greenland had rejected Trump's offers.
Democrats want to oppose any military action and are already preparing to respond. Arizona Senator Ruben Gallego said he expects to introduce a resolution "to prevent Trump's invasion of Greenland."
"We must stop him before he invades another country on a whim," Gallego wrote. "No more eternal wars," he pointed out.
Kaine also said that a resolution on Greenland will be tabled soon, as well as on Cuba, Mexico, Colombia and Nigeria.
Greenland belongs to NATO ally Denmark, which prompted a much different response from Republican senators than the situation in Venezuela.
On Thursday, Senator Roger Wicker, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, met with the Danish Ambassador to the United States, Jesper Møller Sorensen. Also present at the meeting were the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and the head of Greenland's mission to the United States and Canada, Jacob Isbosetsen.
"There is no willingness on their part to negotiate the purchase or change ownership of their land," said Wicker, a Mississippi Republican. "That is their prerogative and their right," he added.
He said he hopes an agreement will be reached that would strengthen US relations with Denmark.
But the head of Greenland's representation in the US and Canada, Jacob Isbosetsen, firmly told reporters: "Greenland is not for sale."
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