By Patricia Zengerle

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. Senate Republicans blocked a resolution on Thursday that would have prevented President Donald Trump from attacking Venezuela without congressional authorization, a day after administration officials told lawmakers that Washington is not currently planning strikes on Venezuelan territory.

The Senate voted 51 to 49, largely along party lines, against a measure that would have brought the war powers resolution up for a vote.

Only two of Trump’s fellow Republicans joined Democrats in backing the measure, the latest test of the party’s willingness to support Trump’s military buildup in the southern Caribbean, after two months of deadly strikes against boats off Venezuela.

The Trump administration says that since early September, U.S. forces h

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