A largely symbolic measure in the Senate to invoke its war powers died Wednesday after two Republican senators withdrew their support.

The war powers resolution that called on President Donald Trump to cease hostilities in or against Venezuela following the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro had garnered support from five Republicans last week, allowing it to move forward. 

The Republican support prompted swift backlash from Trump, who said the senators shouldn’t be reelected and other Republicans should be ashamed of them.

Sen. James Risch, R-Idaho, introduced the parliamentary measure to end discussion on the resolution, arguing that there is no need to invoke Congress’ war powers at this time. 

“There are no U.S. forces engaged in hostilities in Venezuela,” he said. 

The Senate voted 50-50 on his point of order, with Republican Sens. Josh Hawley from Missouri and Todd Young from Indiana withdrawing their support. Vice President JD Vance broke the tie, ending debate.  

The resolution, even if passed in the Senate, would have required a vote in the House and support from the president, making it unlikely to take effect. 

A main sponsor of the resolution, Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., pointed out that the U.S. has about 15,000 troops and large numbers of ships off the coast of Venezuela and has threatened future action against the country. The U.S. is also controlling the country’s oil, its most important asset. 

He called for a public debate on the Trump administration’s legal defense for its actions.

“If this legal basis were so righteous and so lawful, the administration and its supporters would not be so afraid to have this debate before the public,” he said.

Maduro’s capture — which involved bombing Caracas’ air defenses and the current maritime brigade — should be considered acts of war, said Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., a sponsor of the measure. 

“I am not sure how we argue that’s not war,” he said.

Colorado Democratic Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper also both supported invoking the Senate’s war powers. 

“Americans are struggling to afford groceries and health care here at home under President Trump. They don’t want him throwing us into another forever war to enrich oil executives,” Hickenlooper said.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the U.S. would stabilize Venezuela using oil sanctions. The country is now led by the former vice president of the country, Delcy Rodriguez, who has started releasing people considered political prisoners by the Venezuelan political opposition, according to Reuters. 

During the transition process, the U.S. would like to reopen the country’s economy, Rubio said last week.

A Justice Department memo released Tuesday said Trump was within his rights to order the capture of Maduro because it was in the national interest and “does not rise to the level of war in a constitutional sense.”

“We were assured that there is no contingency plan to engage in any substantial and sustained operation that would amount to a constitutional war,” the memo said. “We were further assured that there is no contingency plan that would involve using U.S. forces occupying Venezuela should the removal of Maduro result in civil unrest in that country.”

The memo also noted that the mission would likely constitute an armed conflict under international law. The United Nations charter states that members will not threaten or use force “against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” the memo said. 

If the U.S. sent ground troops into Venezuela, it could leave those service members with lasting moral injuries from participating in military enforcement that they later find immoral, said Matt Stys, a Colorado Springs Army veteran of the Iraq War, who enlisted and served 12 years, six on active duty and six in the National Guard. 

“That amount of mental stress is debilitating, and it’s something that you can never get rid of,” Stys said. 

Whether an action is labeled a military action or law enforcement with military support, more people should speak out against aggressive foreign action, he said. 

“It’s not the United States’ job to determine who’s a leader of a particular country,” said Stys, an organizer with About Face: Veterans Against the War, a group founded in Colorado Springs to push back on the war in Iraq.