The Trump administration asserts the U.S. is not at war with Iran, despite approaching the War Powers Resolution’s 60-day deadline. House Speaker Mike Johnson echoed this, stating no congressional authorization is needed as active hostilities have ceased. This stance, however, faces challenges from Democrats who argue the deadline remains binding.
US President Donald Trump’s administration asserted that the United States is “not at war” with Iran, even as the conflict reaches a critical legal threshold under the War Powers Resolution, setting up a potential confrontation between the White House and Congress.House Speaker Mike Johnson said Thursday that congressional authorisation is not required at this stage, arguing that the US is not engaged in active hostilities.“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” Johnson told NBC News at the Capitol.When pressed on the 60-day deadline under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which falls on Friday, he was categorical. “We are not at war.”
60-day war powers deadline triggers legal debate
The remarks come as the military conflict with Iran approaches the 60-day limit set by the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which mandates that a president must withdraw US forces from hostilities within 60 days unless Congress authorises the action.Trump formally notified Congress of the military campaign on March 2, making May 1 the key deadline. With no authorisation passed so far, the situation raises the possibility of a constitutional standoff. The law does allow presidents to seek a 30-day extension, though it remains unclear whether Trump intends to invoke that provision.A senior White House official said administration leaders and lawmakers are in “active conversations” about how to proceed, adding that any lawmakers opposing authorisation “would only undermine the United States military abroad.”
Ceasefire claim at centre of administration’s argument
At the heart of the administration’s position is the claim that a ceasefire with Iran effectively halts the War Powers clock.Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told lawmakers during a Senate hearing that the pause in fighting changes the legal calculation.“I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that. However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which, our understanding, means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth said.However, that interpretation has been challenged by Democrats, who argue that the statute does not support pausing the deadline.Senator Tim Kaine responded, “I do not believe the statute would support that.”He added, “I think the 60 days runs (out) maybe tomorrow, and that’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there.”
Trump’s own stance on ‘war’ has shifted
Even as his administration maintains that the US is not formally at war, Trump himself has used varying language to describe the conflict since it began.On February 28, announcing the initial strikes, he said, “The lives of courageous American heroes may be lost, and we may have casualties. That often happens in war.”On March 9, he stated, “I think the war is very complete, pretty much.” Days later, he described the operation as “both” a war and a “little excursion.”Later in March, Trump suggested he might avoid calling it a war because “you are supposed to get approval” from Congress.Despite that, he said in mid-April, “I had to go to a war.”In a Thursday interview with Newsmax, he again reflected the ambiguity, saying, “The stock market just now hit a new high during the war, or the military operation, whatever you’d like to call it.”
Conflict background and rising costs
The current conflict began on February 28, when the United States and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran, targeting Tehran and other locations. Iran retaliated by attacking US bases in the region and Israeli targets, while also disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices sharply higher.The fighting has already taken a significant toll. Acting Pentagon Comptroller Jules Hurst III told the House Armed Services Committee that the war has cost $25 billion so far, with the administration planning to seek additional funding from Congress.Military leaders testifying before the panel did not indicate that operations would be ending soon, suggesting that US involvement may continue despite the ceasefire.
Democrats push back, warn of legal breach
Democrats have increasingly raised concerns that the administration is on shaky legal ground and could be in violation of the War Powers Resolution if hostilities are not formally ended or authorised.Senator Adam Schiff, who introduced a resolution to curb the conflict, said, “Some of my colleagues have indicated that the War Powers Act’s 60-day mark is the moment they may join our efforts to bring this war to its conclusion. That time has come.”He added, “After two months of war, thirteen service members’ lives lost, and billions of dollars squandered, it is time we recognized that the price we have paid is already too high.”Despite such efforts, any attempt to block the administration’s actions faces significant hurdles. Even if a resolution passes the Senate, it would require approval from the Republican-controlled House and could ultimately be vetoed by Trump.
Uncertain path ahead
The War Powers Resolution has historically struggled to constrain presidential military action, with courts often avoiding intervention and disputes resolved through political negotiations.For now, the Trump administration appears set to rely on its interpretation that the ceasefire pauses the legal clock, even as critics argue that the deadline remains binding.With the May 1 threshold reached and no clear resolution in sight, the question of whether the United States is formally at war with Iran or not is likely to remain at the centre of an intensifying legal and political debate. Go to Source
