Overview
- President Trump said it would be unconstitutional to ask Congress to authorize the Iran war and argued that past presidents ignored the War Powers law.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate panel that a ceasefire with Iran stops the War Powers Resolution’s 60‑day clock on hostilities.
- Sen. Tim Kaine challenged that view and said the statute does not allow a pause in the clock because of a ceasefire.
- The War Powers Resolution limits unauthorized military action to 60 days and permits a 30‑day extension, and it is unclear whether the president will seek that extension.
- Any lawmaker can use section 5(c) to force a quick vote to remove U.S. forces from hostilities, while decades of practice under the 2001 AUMF and earlier conflicts show how presidents have kept using force without new war declarations.