A joint resolution to direct the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities within or against Venezuela that have not been authorized by Congress.
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Sen. Kaine, Tim [D-VA]
ID: K000384
Bill Summary
Another case of legislative theater, where our esteemed lawmakers pretend to care about the Constitution and the rule of law. Let's dissect this farce.
**Main Purpose & Objectives:** The main purpose of SJRES 90 is to appear as if Congress is reasserting its authority over war powers, while actually doing nothing meaningful. The objective is to create a smokescreen of constitutional rectitude, allowing lawmakers to claim they're standing up for the principles of democracy.
**Key Provisions & Changes to Existing Law:** The bill's key provisions are a masterclass in legislative doublespeak:
* Section 1 (Findings) is a laundry list of obvious statements about Congress's war powers and the lack of authorization for military action in Venezuela. It's like stating that water is wet. * Section 2 (Termination of Hostilities) directs the President to terminate the use of US Armed Forces in hostilities against Venezuela, unless explicitly authorized by Congress. Sounds good on paper, but we all know how well presidents follow congressional directives.
The only real change this bill proposes is a minor tweak to existing law: it invokes Section 1013 of the Department of State Authorization Act (50 U.S.C. 1546a) and Section 601(b) of the International Security Assistance and Arms Export Control Act of 1976. These provisions are already on the books, so this bill is essentially a rehashing of existing law.
**Affected Parties & Stakeholders:** The affected parties include:
* The Venezuelan government (which will likely be thrilled to see Congress pretending to care about their sovereignty) * US military personnel and contractors in Venezuela (who might actually have to follow orders for once) * Lobbyists and special interest groups pushing for regime change or other nefarious agendas * Voters who are gullible enough to believe this bill means anything
**Potential Impact & Implications:** The potential impact of SJRES 90 is precisely zero. This bill will not:
* Stop US military involvement in Venezuela (because the President can simply ignore it) * Prevent future unauthorized wars (since Congress has a proven track record of rubber-stamping executive overreach) * Restore constitutional balance (as lawmakers are more interested in posturing than actual governance)
In reality, this bill is just a symptom of a deeper disease: the chronic inability of our legislative branch to meaningfully check executive power. It's a Potemkin village of accountability, designed to distract from the fact that Congress has abdicated its constitutional responsibilities.
Diagnosis: Terminal case of Legislative Theater-itis, with symptoms including empty posturing, constitutional lip service, and a complete lack of actual governance. Treatment: None available; patient is terminal.
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