![\"\"](\"http:\/\/stateofthenation.info\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Screenshot-2026-05-01-at-12.02.20-PM.png\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A senior Trump administration official said Thursday that \u201cfor\u00a0War Powers Resolution purposes<\/a>,\u201d the military operation against Tehran was already \u201cterminated\u201d following the ceasefire deal reached between the U.S. and Iran.<\/p>\n Friday\u00a0marks 60 days<\/a>\u00a0since the administration formally notified Congress, on March 2, of the conflict.\u00a0In a statement to NewsNation, The Hill\u2019s partner network, the official cited\u00a0President Trump\u2019s\u00a0<\/a><\/span>announcement\u00a0of a temporary truce<\/a> on April 7 to back his claim.<\/p>\n Similarly, Defense Secretary\u00a0Pete Hegseth\u00a0<\/a><\/span>told the Senate Armed Services Committee<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday that the clock stopped with the halt in strikes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,\u201d Hegseth told Sen.\u00a0Tim Kaine\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(D-Va.) during the hearing.<\/p>\n Kaine cast doubt on this reasoning, saying he did not believe that the War Powers Act \u2014 which allows the president to deploy U.S. forces into a conflict for up to 60 days without congressional approval if there is an \u201cimminent threat\u201d \u2014 supported this explanation.<\/p>\n The president, however, can request a 30-day extension to facilitate the safe withdrawal of troops.<\/p>\n House Speaker\u00a0Mike Johnson\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(R-La.) also\u00a0told NBC News<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday that the U.S. is \u201cnot at war\u201d with Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,\u201d Johnson said. \u201cI would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we\u2019ll have to see how that plays out.\u201d<\/p>\n However, not all Republican lawmakers were in agreement on this new timeline.<\/p>\n Two GOP lawmakers, Sens.\u00a0Susan Collins\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(Maine) and\u00a0Rand Paul\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(Ky.),\u00a0joined Democrats<\/a>\u00a0on Thursday in their latest attempt to force the Trump administration to withdraw troops from the Middle East. The resolution was defeated by three votes, including one from Democratic Sen.\u00a0John Fetterman\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(Pa.).<\/p>\n In a statement after her vote, Collins emphasized that Trump\u2019s military powers are \u201cnot without limits.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorize or end U.S. involvement in foreign hostilities,\u201d she\u00a0said in a statement<\/a>. \u201cThat deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement.\u201d<\/p>\n Sen.\u00a0John Curtis\u00a0<\/a><\/span>(R-Utah), who voted against the war powers resolution, said he would withhold support for additional funding for the conflict until Congress is consulted.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not an adversarial stance against the Administration; rather, it is a commitment to our system of government,\u201d Curtis\u00a0wrote in a statement<\/a>. \u201cIt is critical to our national security that Iran\u2019s malign capabilities are neutralized, but it is equally critical that we do so on a sound constitutional footing.\u201d<\/p>\n