Looming war powers Senate vote ramps up pressure on Hawley after MAGA backlash
Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., is facing backlash from the MAGA base after voting with Democrats and a small group of Republican senators to advance a war powers resolution related to Venezuela — marking a break with President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, the Senate is expected to hold a full vote on the resolution that would limit Trump’s ability to conduct future military operations against Venezuela without Congressional approval, teeing up a test for Hawley with MAGA and its base.
The vote comes after Trump announced Jan. 3 that the U.S. military carried out a successful operation in Venezuela, capturing dictatorial president Nicolás Maduro and his wife. The couple is now being held in a New York City jail on sweeping narco-terrorism conspiracy and drug trafficking charges.
The operation set off condemnation among Democrats who took issue with Trump ordering the mission and strike on Venezuela without prior congressional approval.
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Days later, on Jan. 8, the Senate advanced a bipartisan war powers resolution by a 52–47 vote that would require the president to seek congressional authorization before engaging U.S. armed forces in "hostilities within or against Venezuela." The procedural vote set up a full Senate vote slated for Wednesday.
Hawley joined Sens. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska; Rand Paul, R-Ky.; Susan Collins, R-Maine; and Todd Young, R-Ind., in voting with Democrats to require Trump obtain congressional approval prior to military action in Venezuela, sparking condemnation and surprise from the MAGA base on social media earlier in January.
"The Republicans who sided with Democrats today on the War Powers resolution are STUPID & WEAK," former campaign aide Alex Bruesewitz posted to X following the procedural vote. "It came as no surprise to see Rand Paul, Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, or Todd Young vote against President Trump, they've all shown clear signs of Trump Derangement Syndrome in the past."
Bruesewitz added that he was "surprised and disappointed" by Hawley for aligning "himself with the anti-Trump faction and Democrats, particularly since he represents Missouri, one of the most staunchly pro-Trump states in the nation."
"Shameful," he added.
Hawley previously defended his procedural vote by framing it as a constitutional issue rather than a rebuke of the administration.
"My read of the Constitution is that if the President feels the need to put boots on the ground there in the future, Congress would need to vote on it," Hawley posted to X explaining the vote.
Fox News Digital spoke to a longtime Republican campaign operative working on midterm races, who said Hawley has broken with the administration over a handful of issues, and compared him to former Republican Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie, who frequently take shots at the president and his policies and draw media attention.
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"It seems like every other month he does something that's opposed to the president and the party more broadly," the source said.
Trump needs two of the five Republicans to switch their positions ahead of Wednesday's vote. The president put the five senators on notice following the procedural vote, warning on social media that they "should never be elected to office again."
"This Vote greatly hampers American Self Defense and National Security, impeding the President’s Authority as Commander in Chief," he wrote earlier in January. "In any event, and despite their ‘stupidity,’ the War Powers Act is Unconstitutional, totally violating Article II of the Constitution, as all Presidents, and their Departments of Justice, have determined before me."
MAGA allies echoed Trump's Truth Social message in their own posts, describing Hawley as a "RINO" whose political career is allegedly teetering over the vote.
"President Trump ERUPTS on the Republican senators who just voted to approve the War Powers resolution that would rein in his Venezuela operations, says NEVER ELECT THEM AGAIN," Eric Daughtery posted to X Jan. 8.
"Remember this in November. Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski, Rand Paul, Josh Hawley, and Todd Young should never be elected to office again! We are sick of compromised GOP dirtbags going against our President," another MAGA-aligned social media account, Farm Girl Carrie, posted.
Hawley told Fox News Tuesday, when asked how he plans to vote, that he's spoken with Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and DOJ officials about his top concern of having American troops on the ground.
He said they "assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela" and that there "are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela."
"My big concern has been ground troops in Venezuela and, making sure that if there's going to be ground troops in Venezuela, (which) I would hope we would not do, that Congress authorizes that. But I will tell you, I've talked to the president. I talked to the secretary of state. I talked to the Department of Justice here in the last few days and have had tremendous conversations in the Secretary of State, who I just talked to recently, assured me there are no ground troops in Venezuela. There are not going to be ground troops in Venezuela," he said. "The administration will notify Congress, will seek congressional approval where necessary."
Hawley has drawn Trump’s ire before, including during a fight over Hawley’s stock-trading ban proposal in July. Trump, who previously said he liked the idea "conceptually," accused Hawley of siding with Democrats to block a GOP-backed effort tied to reviewing Nancy Pelosi’s stock trading.
"Why would one ‘Republican,’ Senator Josh Hawley from the Great State of Missouri, join with all of the Democrats to block a Review, sponsored by Senator Rick Scott, and with the support of almost all other Republicans, of Nancy Pelosi’s Stock Trading over the last 25 years. The information was inappropriately released just minutes before the Vote — Very much like SABOTAGE!" Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Hawley has also broken with the administration on domestic policy, repeatedly criticizing Medicaid reforms included in Trump’s "big, beautiful bill" back in 2025, even as he ultimately voted in favor of the sweeping package when it came to the Senate floor.
The Republican campaign operative said it is unclear why Hawley has broken with the administration on certain policies, speculating he might have 2028 aspirations.
"The polling I've seen shows that Republicans are in favor of the president's actions in Venezuela," the sourced added. "He would be out of step with our voters. I don't think it'd bode well for him. I think this was one of the most unifying moments on the right, when the president successfully arrested Maduro and took him out the country. Him siding with the Democrats is bizarre."
"How has that worked out for Rand Paul or Massie," the operative said, referring to Kentucky lawmakers' ongoing policy spats with the president and administration.