US President Donald Trump's bold move to detain Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife without consulting Congress highlights the erosion of the legislative branch's authority under his presidency. The brazen operation, which has killed at least 115 people since last September, was carried out without informing senior members of the congressional "gang of eight" – the top Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate and House of Representatives, plus the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees.
This unprecedented move starkly underscores Trump's willingness to disregard constitutional norms, particularly the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops into hostilities and withdraw them after 60 days. The resolution was enacted in response to Lyndon Johnson's perceived abuse of power during the Vietnam War.
The fact that Trump kept his senior advisors in the dark until the operation began suggests a deep-seated distrust of Congress, with some officials implying that lawmakers might leak sensitive information. This disdain is palpable, as Rubio stated that consulting with the gang was not feasible due to "security concerns."
Criticism from Democrats has been fierce, with Nancy Pelosi denouncing Trump's actions as an attempt to abolish the congressional war powers and Tim Kaine warning of potential consequences for US involvement in conflicts abroad.
However, many Republicans have remained silent or even defended Trump's move. Senator Mike Lee's sudden change of heart on Maduro's detention is a striking example of this phenomenon. Former foreign policy adviser Matt Duss argues that such actions are becoming increasingly common among Republican lawmakers, who prioritize maintaining the president's favor over their constitutional responsibilities.
Duss believes that the War Powers Resolution has become ineffective due to Trump's constant disregard for it and calls for its revision or rewriting. However, with a Democratic presidency still uncertain, such changes may be difficult to implement.
This unprecedented move starkly underscores Trump's willingness to disregard constitutional norms, particularly the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires a president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops into hostilities and withdraw them after 60 days. The resolution was enacted in response to Lyndon Johnson's perceived abuse of power during the Vietnam War.
The fact that Trump kept his senior advisors in the dark until the operation began suggests a deep-seated distrust of Congress, with some officials implying that lawmakers might leak sensitive information. This disdain is palpable, as Rubio stated that consulting with the gang was not feasible due to "security concerns."
Criticism from Democrats has been fierce, with Nancy Pelosi denouncing Trump's actions as an attempt to abolish the congressional war powers and Tim Kaine warning of potential consequences for US involvement in conflicts abroad.
However, many Republicans have remained silent or even defended Trump's move. Senator Mike Lee's sudden change of heart on Maduro's detention is a striking example of this phenomenon. Former foreign policy adviser Matt Duss argues that such actions are becoming increasingly common among Republican lawmakers, who prioritize maintaining the president's favor over their constitutional responsibilities.
Duss believes that the War Powers Resolution has become ineffective due to Trump's constant disregard for it and calls for its revision or rewriting. However, with a Democratic presidency still uncertain, such changes may be difficult to implement.
I'm low-key worried about this whole thing lol... seems like Trump is really testing the limits of what he can get away with without Congress knowing what's going on. 
Like, isn't there a law that says he gotta tell them when he's gonna deploy troops or something? 
Anyway, I think it's weird how some Republicans are just chillin' with Trump's move... like, shouldn't they be speaking up more? 
[link to article about Rubio's statement](https://www.cnn.com/politics/article/rubio-senate-vice-chair-donald-trump-intl-hd/index.html)
... Trump just basically took matters into his own hands and didn't even bother to tell Congress what he was doing?! It's wild that 115 people have died already and nobody knows the full extent of it yet 
. And can we talk about how messed up it is that Rubio thought "security concerns" were a valid reason not to consult with lawmakers? Like, isn't that just a fancy way of saying they're too scared to stand up for what's right? 
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. Like, what even is the point of having Congress if he's just gonna do whatever he wants without checking in with them first? It feels like a major power grab and it's super concerning for our democracy 
. And honestly, I don't get why some Republicans are defending this move - shouldn't they be speaking out against it instead of just going along with it? 
. Can we please just have some checks and balances in this country again?! 
it's like the guy is more concerned about keeping trump happy than doing what's right for the country 
and matt duss saying the war powers resolution is ineffective... yeah no kidding, trump's made a mess of it 
. but seriously, someone needs to do something about trump's disregard for congress and the constitution 
, he can't just do whatever he wants without any checks and balances 
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. This is some wild stuff. How can one person just take matters into their own hands like that? It's crazy that Congress isn't being consulted on this... I mean, what even is going on over there? Did they really not think Maduro was gonna try and escape or something? 
like, what's next? him just takin over venezuela 
? anywayz, i think its a BIG deal 4 the legislative branch 2 have all these powers suspended 
he's really testing the limits of power here and it's not looking good for our system of checks and balances 
it's not like he's gonna be able to just rewrite the rules himself 
and we need to make sure that our leaders are holding Trump accountable for his actions 
oh my gosh this is crazy!!! trump is literally disregarding every rule he can just do whatever he wants without checking in with anyone 
i mean i get it he's the president and all but come on!! a war powers resolution from 1973 isn't even that old 
115 people dead and trump is still going on like no big deal 
this is so not okay folks we need to keep an eye on him!!! 
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Trump's got senior advisors in the dark about the whole thing? That raises so many red flags 
. And those Democrats are totally right to be outraged 
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It's like they're all thinking, "Meh, he's got our back, so we'll shut up and nod along