President Trump sent letters to Congress on Friday charging that a Vietnam-era law requiring him to seek federal approval to continue military operations in Iran is invalid because the conflict was still prohibited.
In letters – sent to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the president of the Senate – Mr. Trump said he was writing to inform them of “changes in the posture of the United States Forces” and reiterated his administration’s position that the ceasefire announced on April 7 had stopped the clock on the war.
Under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, if presidents send US troops to war without Congressional authorization, they must end the operation after 60 days if the legislative branch does not authorize the continued use of force in the mission. The law also allows the president to grant a 30-day extension, but only to bring troops home safely, not to increase fighting.
But the books of Mr. Trump charged that “there has been no exchange of fire between the United States Forces and Iran since April 7,” and that the war between the United States and Israel began on Feb. 28 is “expired,” in an apparent attempt to avoid requiring congressional approval. He did not mention that US forces shot down an Iranian-flagged cargo ship on April 19.
And a few hours later on Friday, the president launched his argument.
“You know we are at war,” said Mr. Trump comments in Florida. “Because I think you’d agree that we can’t let the lunatics have a nuclear weapon.”
His administration’s position may not satisfy key Republicans, who for weeks have pointed to the 60-day mark as a critical point when the president’s joint authority to direct military action against Iran will expire, and Congress will have to decide whether to authorize a long foreign war. Senior Democrats quickly dismissed claims that the ceasefire had stopped the clock, a contention Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth first raised on Thursday.
Mr. Trump has never sought congressional approval for the military campaign that began in February, when the United States and Israel launched airstrikes against Iran. He formally notified lawmakers of the project on March 2, starting a 60-day clock, which ended Friday.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly insisted that the strikes he ordered on Iran earlier this year were not “wars,” but rather “military operations” or “excursions,” and has openly admitted that he avoided calling them “wars” because he did not seek congressional approval. However, he often uses the word war anyway.
On Friday, speaking to reporters outside the White House, Mr. Trump asserted that he did not need to ask Congress to extend the war “because it has never been called for before,” and said the requirement was “unconstitutional.”
“We are in constant contact with Congress,” he said. “But nobody’s ever wanted it before. Nobody’s ever asked for it before. It’s never been used before. Why should we be different?”
Congress has, in fact, authorized deployment to major conflicts in the past 60 days since the War Powers Resolution was enacted, including major operations such as the Persian Gulf War and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as smaller operations such as the 1983 peacekeeping mission in Lebanon.
Democrats said the administration was not telling the truth, as tens of thousands of US troops are still in the region and the president’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which is an act of war under international law, is still in effect.
“President Trump entered this war without a strategy and without legislative authorization, and today’s announcement does not change any of that fact,” said Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, the ranking Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, who also sits on the Armed Services and Defense Appropriations panels, in a statement.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the minority leader, used profanity to denounce the president’s announcement as nonsense. “This is an illegal war and every day Republicans stand by and allow it to continue another day lives are at risk, chaos erupts and prices rise, all while the American people foot the bill,” he added in a statement.
These letters come as Mr. Trump has threatened to resume conflict with Iran if it does not allow shipping in the strait and abandon its nuclear program.
Mr. Trump wrote that despite the United States’ military success in Iran, “the threat Iran poses to the United States and our armed forces remains significant” and that the Department of Defense “continues to renew its military posture” in the region.
Charlie Savage again Zolan Kanno-Youngs reporting contributed.
