Trump’s 60-Day War Authority Expires — US Congress to Decide Fate of Iran Conflict Today

WASHINGTON: A pivotal constitutional deadline arrived Friday as President Donald Trump’s 60-day war powers authority under the War Powers Resolution officially expired, transferring the decision over the continuation of military hostilities with Iran to the United States Congress.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, any US president who commits American armed forces to combat operations abroad must obtain formal congressional authorization within 60 days, or be legally required to withdraw those forces. That deadline expires today, setting the stage for a critical showdown between the executive and legislative branches.
The White House, however, has pushed back against the premise that any congressional vote is necessary, arguing that the conflict is effectively already over. The Trump administration contends that a two-week ceasefire agreed upon between Washington and Tehran on April 7th was subsequently extended indefinitely, and that no shots have been fired since that date — effectively rendering the war powers clock moot.
“The absence of a ceasefire timeline means the war is over,” a senior administration official argued, reflecting the legal interpretation the White House has adopted to sidestep congressional oversight.
Critics on Capitol Hill, particularly Democratic lawmakers, have rejected this reasoning, calling it a dangerous and unconstitutional circumvention of legislative war-making authority. Six separate Democratic resolutions to curtail Trump’s Iran war powers have already failed in the Senate, but today’s deadline has renewed pressure on Congress to assert its constitutional role.
Today’s congressional proceedings are expected to be closely watched by legal scholars, foreign policy analysts, and US allies alike, as the outcome could set a significant precedent for the limits — or lack thereof — of executive war-making authority in the United States for decades to come.