Washington– Many Republicans were uncomfortable with them President Donald Trump The war in Iran has stressed that there will be a May 1 deadline for Congress to intervene. But that deadline is now set to 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 – a deadline that falls on Friday – or within 90 days if the president requests an extension. But Congress made no attempt to enforce the requirement, leaving town for a week on Thursday after the Senate rejected Democrats’ bid to stop the war for the sixth time.
The Trump administration has shown no interest in obtaining congressional approval at all. He argues that the deadlines set by law do not apply because War in Iran It effectively ended when the ceasefire began in early April.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday that he does not plan to vote on the authorization Power in Iran Or weighed in another way.
“I’m listening carefully to what members of our conference are saying, and at this point I don’t see that,” Thune said.
The reluctance to challenge Trump on the war comes at a politically risky time for Republicans General frustration It is escalating due to the conflict and its impact on gas prices. However, 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 says he would vote to authorize the war if Trump requests it. But he questioned whether the War Powers Resolution, passed during the Vietnam War era as a way for Congress to regain its authority, was constitutional.
“Our founders have created a really strong CEO, like it or not,” Cramer said.
However, some GOP senators made clear they ultimately want Congress to have a say. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski said in a speech Thursday that she would introduce limited, authorized use of military force when the Senate returns from a one-week recess if the administration has not yet presented what she called a “credible plan.”
“I don’t think we should engage in open military action without clear accountability,” Murkowski said. “Congress has a role.”
A handful of GOP senators have said for weeks that Congress must assert authority over the war at some point. One of those senators, Susan Collins of Maine, First time voted with Democrats On Thursday to stop the war. She said in a statement that she wanted to see a specific strategy to end the conflict.
“The president’s authority as commander-in-chief is not unlimited,” Collins said, adding that the 60-day deadline “is not a proposal, 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, among others, have said in recent weeks that they would eventually like to hold a vote.
Curtis said he would not support continued funding for the war until Congress voted to authorize it.
“It is time for both the administration and Congress to make decisions — and that can happen in alliance with each other, not in conflict,” Curtis said.
Thune suggested that the White House intensify its outreach to lawmakers Briefings and hearings If she wants continued support from Capitol Hill.
“Obviously getting readouts from our military leadership on a fairly regular basis, I think will be helpful in terms of shaping the views of our members on how comfortable they are with everything that’s going on out there, and the direction that’s going forward,” Thune said.
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 states that the President has 60 calendar days after notifying Congress that the United States is engaged in military hostilities to either end the military campaign or obtain congressional approval. The White House can use a 30-day extension to safely withdraw troops, but Congress must be notified.
The 60-day window will end on Friday, however Defense Minister Pete Hegseth “We are in a ceasefire now, which according to our understanding means that the 60-day clock stops or stops,” he said during a hearing on Thursday.
Meanwhile, a senior administration official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the administration’s position, said that for purposes of the War Powers Act, “the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have ended.” The official said that the US military and Iran have not exchanged fire since the two-week ceasefire that began on April 7.
The administration makes this argument despite Iran maintaining its stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz and the presence of the US Navy. Maintain the blockade To prevent Iranian oil tankers from going into the sea.
Democrats scoffed at the suggestion that May 1 is not the real deadline. “I don’t think the law would support that,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine told Hegseth at the hearing.
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said the military is still operating warships and other military assets even though it stopped bombing Iran during the ceasefire.
“Ceasing to use some forces while using others does not somehow stop the clock,” Schiff said.
However, this development was not a huge surprise to at least one of the Democrats in the House of Representatives that oversees the military.
“Is the Trump administration expected to follow the law? I don’t have that expectation,” Rep. Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, told The Associated Press.