Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days — Friday was the deadline — or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. This Congress made no attempt at enforcing that requirement, leaving town Thursday for a week after the Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time.
READ MORE: Congress hasn’t officially declared war since WWII. Here’s how presidential war powers have played out since then
Some GOP senators are growing uneasy about the war’s timeline, which Trump initially said would last a few weeks. But Trump’s letter showed how the president continues to forego congressional approval.
It contends the deadlines set by the law do not apply because the war in Iran effectively ended when a shaky ceasefire began in early April. The Republican debate over the war Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S. D. , said Thursday he did not plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in.
