Washington’s deadline for Congress to check Donald Trump’s war in Iran is set to pass on Friday with Republican lawmakers still unwilling to force the issue, despite growing unease inside their own ranks and a fresh clash over the scope of presidential war powers. The War Powers Resolution of 1973 gives the president 60 days to secure authorisation for military action or wind it down, but the Trump administration is arguing that no vote is needed because the conflict effectively ended when a ceasefire began in early April. Senate Republicans have not moved to compel a decision, and Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he does not see a vote on authorising force or otherwise weighing in. Even so, some Republicans are signalling that they want Congress to reassert itself, with Senator Lisa Murkowski saying she plans to introduce a limited authorisation when lawmakers return if the White House has not presented what she called a credible plan. Senator Susan Collins, who backed a Democratic effort to halt the war, said the 60-day limit is a requirement, not a suggestion. Other Republicans, including Kevin Cramer, John Curtis, Thom Tillis and Josh Hawley, have also indicated that Congress should have a say eventually, even as the broader party continues to defer to Trump amid concerns about the conflict’s political and economic fallout. According to Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth, the administration believes the ceasefire pauses the legal clock; Democrats and some constitutional lawyers disagree, arguing that ongoing military operations mean the statute still applies.

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Source: Noah Wire Services