House unable to halt Venezuela war march

On the floor before the votes, lawmakers said Congress must assert its authority to decide when to go to war.

“The constitution vests this body with authority over matters of war and peace. That power has too often been ceded to the executive branch,” Rep. Meeks said. “Congress must make clear to all of us that no president can unilaterally draw the United States into a conflict.”

Others warned against war with Venezuela altogether.

“It's easy to get into a war. It's hard as hell to get out of war,” Rep. McGovern said. “I've been around long enough to hear representatives of both parties talk about war as something simple, ‘You can get into it. We get out of it easy. No big deal.’ That's never happened!”

“Even the Pentagon says it will be very, very complicated to topple Maduro,” he said.