Hegseth argues 60-day clock on Iran war stopped with ceasefire
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued Thursday that the 60-day clock for the conflict with Iran stopped when President Trump announced a ceasefire, as Democratic senators tee up yet another war powers vote.
Trump notified Congress of the military operations in Iran on March 2, making Friday the 60-day milestone at which point the War Powers Act requires the president to start winding down a war unless he receives congressional authorization.
However, Hegseth said the administration believes the clock stopped when the U.S. halted bombing Iran on April 7.
“We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth told Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
“I do not believe the statute would support that,” Kaine pushed back. “I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow, and it’s going to pose a really important legal question for the administration there.”
The U.S. military continues to remain on a war footing in the Middle East, with tens of thousands of troops deployed on sea and land at the cost of tens of millions of dollars per day.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif) announced Wednesday that Democrats would force another vote on a war powers resolution aimed at curbing Trump’s ability to carry out further military action without obtaining congressional approval.
“Donald Trump and his administration are endangering the lives of servicemembers and spending billions on an illegal war that is not supported by the majority of Americans,” Schumer said in a press release .
House and Senate Democrats have forced multiple war powers votes since the start of the U.S. campaign in Iran on Feb. 28, but Republicans have defeated them each time.
Thursday’s vote marks the sixth attempt, and at least three GOP senators have signaled their opposition to the measure could change if the conflict stretches past that 60-day mark.
“I have said from the very beginning that if the military hostilities in Iran continue to that 60th day, then I believe the War Powers Act is implemented, and the president would need congressional authorization to continue the war in Iran,” Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said at the Semafor World Economy summit earlier this month.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) similarly told NBC News that it would be “difficult” to get his support to continue the conflict beyond 60 days because he was “not quite clear what the strategic objectives are.”
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 is designed to limit the president’s authority to wage war abroad without the consent of Congress. It requires that the president notify Congress within 48 hours of military action launched in response to an imminent threat, and bars armed forces from remaining for longer than 60 days without congressional approval. The president may request a 30-day extension to ensure the safe withdrawal of troops.
Trump initially announced a temporary two-week truce with Tehran on April 8 but extended it indefinitely just hours before it was set to expire on April 21.
Negotiations for a permanent end to hostilities have stalled since then, with Iran seeking to defer discussions on its nuclear program and refusing to commit to another round of direct talks with U.S. representatives.
Trump has also insisted that he is not under pressure to make a deal, saying Tehran cannot be allowed to maintain its nuclear enrichment capabilities and must agree to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
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