Congress Lets Trump’s Iran War Deadline Slip While Some GOP Talk ‘Restraint’

Congress has once again failed to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his unauthorized war with Iran, ignoring the critical 60-day deadline mandated by the War Powers Act. Despite the law requiring congressional authorization or a halt to military operations within 60 days, lawmakers left Washington without taking meaningful action, effectively rubber-stamping Trump’s ongoing conflict.

The deadline passed last Friday as members of Congress returned home for recess, leaving the Trump administration free to continue its military campaign without legislative approval. Senate Democrats have repeatedly voted to restrict Trump’s war powers in Iran, but their efforts have been stymied by a largely compliant Republican caucus unwilling to challenge the president’s aggressive foreign policy.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) dismissed the urgency, stating that Republicans receive "readouts from our military leadership on a somewhat regular basis" and do not see the need for immediate congressional intervention. This deference underscores the GOP’s reluctance to check Trump’s expanding executive war powers, even as the conflict drags on with no clear end in sight.

Some Republicans, however, are signaling a shift. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) is preparing to introduce an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) that would not only authorize the conflict but also impose “restraints” on Trump’s conduct of the war. Murkowski criticized the administration’s lack of a credible plan or sufficient information, warning that Congress must assert its constitutional role once it reconvenes.

Trump, meanwhile, claimed in a letter to congressional leaders that he never needed their approval and declared the hostilities “terminated” following a two-week ceasefire he ordered on April 7. Yet Democrats like Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) reject that narrative, pointing out that the U.S. Navy’s ongoing blockade of Iranian ports constitutes continued warfare. For Kaine, the ceasefire is a mere pause, not an end to hostilities.

Without congressional authorization, the War Powers Act requires the administration to end military actions within 30 days. Democrats have threatened legal action if Trump ignores this mandate, but skepticism remains about the courts’ willingness to constrain the president’s war-making authority. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) warned against relying on the Supreme Court, which he doubts would side against Trump.

This episode reveals a troubling pattern: Congress’s failure to check executive overreach in matters of war, enabling Trump’s unilateral military adventurism under the guise of national security. As the Iran conflict grinds on, the question remains whether lawmakers will finally assert their constitutional duty or continue to enable unchecked presidential power.