[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 214 (Thursday, December 18, 2025)]
[Senate]
[Page S8936]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

  SA 4139. Mr. WELCH (for himself, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Van 
Hollen, Ms. Alsobrooks, Mr. Markey, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Kim, Ms. Baldwin, 
and Mr. Wyden) submitted an amendment intended to be proposed to 
amendment SA 3951 submitted by Ms. Collins and intended to be proposed 
to the bill H.R. 4016, making appropriations for the Department of 
Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2026, and for other 
purposes; which was ordered to lie on the table; as follows:

        At the appropriate place, insert the following:

     SEC. __. PROHIBITION ON USE OF UNITED STATES ARMED FORCES TO 
                   CONDUCT HOSTILITIES WITH RESPECT TO VENEZUELA.

       (a) Prohibition.--None of the funds appropriated or 
     otherwise made available for the Department of Defense, or 
     for any other department or agency of the United States 
     Government, may be used to conduct hostilities with respect 
     to Venezuela, except--
       (1) pursuant to a specific statutory authorization enacted 
     after the date of the enactment of this Act; or
       (2) pursuant to a congressional authorization consistent 
     with section 2(c) of the War Powers Resolution (50 U.S.C. 
     1541(c)).
       (b) Rules of Construction.--Nothing in this section shall 
     be construed to prevent the United States from--
       (1) acting to defend itself or its citizens from an armed 
     attack or the threat of an imminent armed attack;
       (2) acting to defend the United States Armed Forces or 
     United States personnel from an armed attack;
       (3) conducting lawful counternarcotics operations that do 
     not constitute hostilities; or
       (4) providing humanitarian assistance to the people of 
     Venezuela.
       (c) Hostilities Defined.--In this section, the term 
     ``hostilities'' means any situation involving any use of 
     lethal or potentially lethal force by United States forces, 
     whether such force is deployed remotely and irrespective of 
     the intermittency thereof.
       (d) Relation to the War Powers Resolution.--Nothing in this 
     section supersedes any requirement of the War Powers 
     Resolution (50 U.S.C. 1541 et seq.).
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