When the history of this era is written, it will note U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind., stood for the Constitution and the rule of law concerning the president's power to make war without the consent of Congress — for one week.
Then Young caved to Republican President Donald Trump.
The Hoosier senator, along with U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., flipped their positions on a procedural vote Wednesday, enabling Vice President J.D. Vance to scuttle a proposed Senate resolution reminding Trump, in the mildest possible terms, that he's not permitted to deploy U.S. troops to Venezuela without a congressional declaration of war or specific authorization for use of military force.
Young said his decision to help kill the resolution, after initially joining five Senate Republicans and 47 Democrats to support it Jan. 8, followed "numerous conversations with senior national security officials," along with a personal pledge from Trump — who said last week Young "should never be elected to office again" for voting in favor of the resolution.
"I have received assurances that there are no American troops in Venezuela. I’ve also received a commitment that if President Trump were to determine American forces are needed in major military operations in Venezuela, the administration will come to Congress in advance to ask for an authorization of force," Young said.
That commitment appears to conflict with Trump's declaration last week on social media that he doesn't consider himself bound by the War Powers Act or anything else that impedes the president's ability to exercise his authority as commander-in-chief of the armed forces.
Nevertheless, Young is confident the underlying message of the discarded Senate resolution got through to the president — who this week alone has threatened to intervene in Iran, pushed for a hostile takeover of Greenland and claimed to be acting president of Venezuela — that Trump can't just ignore Congress' constitutionally prescribed role in making war.
"For those like me who want Congress to perform its longstanding role in these issues, the commitments I've secured are major commitments that will help keep Congress better informed, help ensure we make better decisions and ensure in this situation that any future commitment of U.S. forces in Venezuela is subject to public debate and authorization here in this body," Young said.
Meanwhile, Indiana's other Republican senator, U.S. Sen. Jim Banks, said he wholeheartedly backs Trump's military endeavors in Venezuela and anywhere else the president chooses to deploy U.S. troops.
© Copyright 2026, nwitimes.com, Munster, IN