Vice President JD Vance cast a tie-breaking vote in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday evening, killing the War Powers Resolution that was designed to curtail President Donald Trump’s administration if any further military action was warranted in Venezuela.
Vance presided over the Senate as the vote was tallied to 50 yeas and 50 nays — with Republican Senators Rand Paul (KY), Lisa Murkowski (AK) and Susan Collins (ME) voting with Democrats. After announcing that the vote was tied, Vance briefly conferred with someone at the desk before announcing his vote.
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING: Vice President JD VANCE just DEFEATED the anti-Trump War Powers vote in the Senate on Venezuela, casting the tie-breaking vote, 51-50
The resolution has officially FAILED.
THANK YOU JD! You can always rely on VP Vance! 🇺🇸
Trump wins again 🔥 pic.twitter.com/8f7Eprt1Jg
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 14, 2026
“On this vote, the yeas are 50, the nays are 50. The Senate being equally divided, the Vice President votes —” Vance quickly covered the microphone as he looked over the legislation on the desk in front of him
“Affirmative. And the point of order is sustained,” he said, chuckling, after the brief pause. “I had to make sure.”
Two other Republican Senators had initially indicated that they would vote with Democrats on the measure, but were convinced to change their votes prior to Wednesday evening.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) told Fox News host Will Cain that he’d been assured by the White House that there would be no move to put troops on the ground in Venezuela without going through the proper congressional channels.
“For me, it’s always been about troops,” Hawley explained, adding, “I talked to the president … I thank for the admin for the outreach. We are not going to occupy Venezuela. That’s good enough for me.”
WATCH:
🚨 BREAKING: Sen. Josh Hawley has FLIPPED on the War Powers resolution against President Trump’s Venezuela operation
Hawley is now a NAY, after voting YEA to advance it, drawing a sharp response from Trump
“For me, it’s always been about troops…I talked to the president…I… pic.twitter.com/yFuo2RKVOc
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 14, 2026
Senator Todd Young (R-IN) also changed his vote prior to Wednesday, saying that he’d been convinced by Secretary of State Marco Rubio — who indicated a willingness to testify on the matter before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Rubio also said in a letter to Young that if the United States were to engage in “major military operations” in Venezuela, the administration would “seek congressional authorization in advance (circumstances permitting).”