Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, told reporters Tuesday that she is undecided ahead of an expected war powers vote later this week after the U.S. attacked the capital of Venezuela and captured its president, saying she is “still reviewing the language.”
Collins previously cast a decisive vote in November on a bill that would have limited President Donald Trump’s authority to attack Venezuela, which the senator’s office explained by saying she viewed it as overly broad.
Another GOP senator, Thom Tillis of North Carolina, also said Tuesday that he remains undecided, saying he hopes a briefing with all senators on Wednesday will clarify the “legal authority” for the actions by the U.S.
“We have a history of going in, liberating and leaving. I’m interested in the leaving part,” Tillis said.
Asked whether he would support deploying troops on the ground in Venezuela, Tillis responded: “Not without congressional authorization.”
The upcoming vote follows a U.S. attack Saturday on the Venezuelan capital of Caracas that ended with the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday that “dozens” of officials and civilians were killed and that prosecutors would investigate the deaths in what he described as “war crime.” The official death toll is at least 56.
He didn’t specify if the estimate specifically referred to Venezuelans.
According to the Pentagon, seven U.S. servicemembers were injured in Saturday’s raid in Caracas, and the injuries were gunshot wounds and shrapnel-related, a U.S. official told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive situation. Of the servicemembers, five have already returned to duty while two are still recovering.
In addition to the 24 Venezuelan security officers, 32 Cuban military and police officers working in Venezuela were also killed, according to Cuba’s government, prompting two days of mourning on the Caribbean island.
More civilians in Venezuela were killed in the strikes, AP reporting shows, but it wasn’t immediately clear how many.