WASHINGTON — With the support of House Democrats, Rep. Jim Himes introduced the War Powers Resolution, which aims to reassert congressional authority over boat strikes near Venezuela.

The White House described the 21 fatal boat strikes as a strategy to stop drug trafficking and put pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his Cartel de los Soles, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization.

On Monday, President Donald Trump’s primary military adviser, Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited troops in Puerto Rico.

Nicolás Maduro reacts to Cartel de los Soles terrorist designation

On Friday, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration issued a “Notice to Air Missions” asking pilots to exercise caution in the area of Maiquetía, home to the Simón Bolívar International Airport, which serves the Venezuelan capital of Caracas.

This prompted TAP, LATAM, Avianca, Iberia, and Gol to suspend flights. Turkish Airlines suspended some flights. Trinidad and Tobago’s Caribbean Airlines had already suspended flights in September.

In response, Venezuelan officials with the Instituto Nacional De Aeronautica Civil Venezuela, or INAC, threatened to strip the airlines’ clearance if the flights didn’t resume within 48 hours.

The International Air Transport Association, or IATA, released a statement asking INAC to drop the 48-hour deadline, or risk isolation. Panama’s Copa and Venezuela’s Conviasa continued flights to Maiquetía.

Venezuela threatens airlines over flights suspensions; Democrats reassert congressional authority

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Andrea Torres