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Trump Administration and Congress Clash Over War Powers Deadline in Iran Conflict

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The 60-day deadline for President Donald Trump to seek congressional authorization for the U.S. role in the Iran war arrived on Friday, intensifying a constitutional clash over who controls decisions of war and peace. The administration argued that an April ceasefire with Tehran “terminated” the hostilities for legal purposes, while critics in Congress and the legal community said the War Powers Resolution leaves no room for such an interpretation nbcnews +3.

Did the Ceasefire Stop the War Powers Clock?

Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a president must secure congressional authorization or end hostilities within 60 days of formally notifying lawmakers that U.S. forces have been introduced into combat, with a single 30‑day extension allowed only for safe withdrawal theguardian +1. The clock was widely understood to have started when Trump notified Congress on March 2 that U.S. and Israeli forces had launched “major combat operations” against Iran on February 28, making May 1 the key deadline nbcnews +1.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators Thursday that because a U.S.–Iran ceasefire took effect in early April, “the 60‑day clock pauses or stops” in a ceasefire, contending that active hostilities had ended even as U.S. naval forces continued interdictions and a de facto blockade in the Strait of Hormuz thehill +1. A senior administration official went further, saying that “for War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on February 28 have terminated” aljazeera. Constitutional scholars and several lawmakers from both parties rejected that view, noting that the statute contains no ceasefire exception and that ongoing military activities still qualify as “hostilities” nbcnews +1.

Congress Divided and Options Narrow

Repeated efforts in the Senate to force an end to the conflict or require new authorization have failed, including a measure defeated 50–47 on Thursday despite support from Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who called the 60‑day deadline “a requirement,” not a suggestion bbc +1. With both chambers now out of town, Congress has not passed either a new authorization for the use of military force or a binding directive to terminate U.S. involvement nbcnews +1.

Democrats are weighing alternative pressure tactics, including conditioning or cutting off funding in upcoming spending bills and exploring a potential lawsuit arguing that continued operations are unlawful without explicit approval time +1. But legal experts warned that courts have historically been reluctant to referee War Powers disputes, making the political tools of oversight and the power of the purse Congress’s most realistic levers time +1.

The Bigger Picture

The standoff over the Iran campaign highlighted how, half a century after it was written, the War Powers Resolution still relies more on political will than legal enforcement. As U.S. forces remain deployed around Iran and the administration insists it retains wide latitude without a new vote, the outcome of this fight may determine not only the future of this war, but how easily future presidents can wage major conflicts without ever securing Congress’s formal consent nbcnews +1.