Republicans Say They Will Defer To Trump On Iran War Despite Arrival Of 60-Day Deadline

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Republicans are upset about this. President Donald Trump The war in Iran has highlighted that the deadline for Congressional intervention will be May 1. But history will now pass without any action from GOP lawmakers who continue to defer to the White House.

Under War Powers Resolution of 1973Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days, which falls on Friday, or 90 days if the president requests an extension. But Congress made no move to meet that requirement, leaving the city for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected Democrats’ attempt to stop the war for a sixth time.

The Trump administration has shown no interest in seeking congressional approval. The periods determined by the law are not valid because war in Iran When the ceasefire began in early April, it effectively ended.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said he is not planning a vote on authorization on Thursday force in Iran or weigh it in some other way.

“I’ve been listening carefully to what members of our conference are saying, and at this point I just don’t see it,” Thune said.

The reluctance to challenge Trump in battle comes at a politically dangerous time for Republicans. public disappointment is increasing due to both the conflict and its impact on gas prices. Still, most GOP lawmakers say they support Trump’s wartime leadership or are at least willing to give him more time amid the fragile ceasefire.

Republican Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he would vote for war authorization if Trump requests it. But he questioned the constitutionality of the War Powers Resolution, which was adopted during the Vietnam War era as a way for Congress to take back its power.

“Our founders created a really strong executive, like it or not,” Cramer said.

Still, some GOP senators have made clear they want Congress to finally have a say. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said Thursday that she would move to limited authorized use of military force when the Senate returns from a weeklong recess if the administration has not yet presented what she called “a credible plan.”

“I don’t believe we should engage in an open-ended military action without clear accountability,” Murkowski said. “Congress has a role”

A handful of GOP senators have been saying for weeks that Congress should at some point assert its authority over the war. One of those senators, Susan Collins of Maine, Voted with Democrats for the first time Thursday to stop the war. He said in a statement that he wanted to see a defined strategy to end the conflict.

“The president’s authority as commander in chief is not unlimited,” Collins said, adding that the 60-day period is “not a suggestion, but a requirement.”

In addition to Collins and Murkowski, Republican Sens. John Curtis of Utah, Thom Tillis of North Carolina and Josh Hawley of Missouri have also said in recent weeks that they want to see a vote eventually.

Curtis said he would not support continuing funding for the war until Congress gave its approval.

“Now is the time for both the administration and Congress to decide, and that can happen in collaboration with each other, not in conflict,” Curtis said.

Thune suggests White House increase aid to lawmakers briefings and hearings If he wants continued support from Capitol Hill.

“Frankly, I think hearing from our military leadership on a regular basis would be helpful in terms of shaping our members’ views on how comfortable they are with everything that’s going on out there and the direction going forward,” Thune said.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 states that a president has 60 calendar days after notifying Congress that the United States is engaging in military hostilities to end the military campaign or obtain approval from Congress. The White House could use a 30-day extension to safely withdraw forces, but Congress must be notified.

The 60-day period will end on Friday, but Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth He said at the hearing on Thursday: “We are currently in a ceasefire, our understanding is that the 60-day period is paused or stopped.”

Meanwhile, a senior administration official who discussed the administration’s position on condition of anonymity said that “hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28th have ended” in terms of the war powers act. The US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since a two-week ceasefire that began on April 7, the official said.

The administration makes this claim even though Iran maintains control of the Strait of Hormuz and the U.S. Navy is under pressure. continuation of the blockade To prevent Iran’s oil tankers from going out to sea.

Democrats scoffed at the suggestion that May 1 was not the real deadline. “I don’t believe the law would support this,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Hegseth at the hearing.

Sen. Adam Schiff of California argued that the military still operates warships and other military assets even though it stopped bombing Iran during the ceasefire.

“Just using some powers and ceasing to use others doesn’t somehow stop the clock,” Schiff said.

But the development came as little surprise to at least one House Democrat who oversees the military.

Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told the Associated Press: “Is there an expectation that the Trump administration will follow the law? I have no such expectation.”