Dem
47
GOP
53
Art. I, Sec, 8 of the Constitution contains this sentence in the section enumerating the powers of Congress:
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
Letters of marque and reprisal haven't been around for a while, but the Constitution does explicitly authorize Congress to issue them. The situation with Venezuela is heating up. Republicans want to stop the "drug" boats but don't want to have the U.S. involved in a war with Venezuela. Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) has thought of a brilliant way out of this dilemma, thanks to the t(rusty) old Constitution: Issue letters of marque and reprisal!
Basically, ship captains who want to turn pirate could apply for such a letter. If granted, they would be authorized to capture and seize "enemy" ships and could keep and sell the cargo, usually giving the government a small cut. The captain and sailors would also specifically be granted immunity for breaking any U.S. laws they had to break when capturing ships. Generally these folks think of themselves as "privateers," rather than "pirates," because they are sort of legal in the government's eyes but to the victims, the difference is pretty subtle. Being a privateer was seen as an honorable, patriotic, and profitable profession.
In the days before regular navies, kings granted Letters of Marque and Reprisal all the time to get what is effectively a private navy at no cost to the royal treasury. The U.S. used them during the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. Usually, Congress granted the president the authority to issue them under certain conditions, rather than issuing them directly itself. If you want to get into the weeds on these letters, here is a good source. The practice tends to be frowned upon now and probably violates international law. But Donald Trump doesn't even care about domestic law let alone international law. He might well go for Lee's idea. (V)