Pete Hegseth Tells Senators War Powers Deadline Pauses During Ceasefire With Iran

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told senators that the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution does not apply to the Trump administration’s military campaign against Iran because of a ceasefire, as the conflict neared a key date on Friday.

“Hegseth says War Powers deadline doesn't apply because of ceasefire with Iran Democrats have concerns Trump won't honor the deadline, which falls on Friday”

ABC News

NBC News reported that Hegseth and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Dan Caine, faced questions from senators about “the cost of the Iran war and the depletion of U.S. munitions stockpiles,” and that the hearing came after they were grilled by House lawmakers for six hours about the Iran war and the Defense Department’s budget request.

ABC News

Axios described Senate Republicans calling on the administration to clarify how it is interpreting the 60-day clock, noting that “The 60-day deadline, depending on who's counting, is arriving on requiring the president to seek authorization or wind down operations.”

The dispute centers on when “hostilities” are considered to be ongoing under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, with Hegseth arguing the clock can “pause or stop” during a ceasefire.

ABC News quoted Hegseth saying, “We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” while Democrats argued that the statute still requires action.

The stakes were framed in terms of congressional oversight and the requirement that the president either seek authorization or begin withdrawing forces as the deadline approached.

Multiple outlets reported that Hegseth’s ceasefire-based interpretation triggered immediate objections from Democratic lawmakers who said the administration was trying to get around the War Powers clock.

Axios quoted Sen. Tim Kaine’s response that “A ceasefire means bombs aren't dropping,” adding, “It doesn't mean there are no hostilities. If we're using the U.S. military to blockade everything going into and out of Iran, that's still hostility.”

Al Jazeera

Politico similarly reported that Democrats warned the law requires the White House to either begin withdrawing troops on Friday or seek congressional approval, and it quoted Kaine saying, “This is going to pose a really important legal question for the administration.”

Spectrum News said Kaine responded to Hegseth’s answer by arguing, “I do not believe the statute would support that,” and that Friday would “going to pose a really important legal question for the administration.”

ABC News added that Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren agreed with Kaine’s interpretation, emphasizing that “That means that right now, the United States is at war with Iran.”

The dispute also played out against a backdrop of failed Senate votes on war powers legislation, with ABC News stating that “For the sixth time, the Senate on Thursday failed to advance an Iran War Powers Resolution by a vote of 50-47.”

Even as Democrats pressed the legal argument, Republicans signaled they were watching for formal notification, with Axios quoting Sen. Josh Hawley saying, “Presumably, they will communicate that in a formal way.”

Beyond the legal deadline, lawmakers pressed Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine on the war’s cost, the depletion of U.S. munitions, and the administration’s strategy.

“United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Cain have faced public questioning for the second day, this time in front of the Senate Armed Forces Committee”

Al Jazeera

NBC News said the Senate hearing included questions about “the cost of the Iran war and the depletion of U.S. munitions stockpiles,” and it described the hearing as coming after House lawmakers grilled them for six hours about the Iran war and the Defense Department's budget request.

AP News reported that Democrats grilled Hegseth about “the ballooning costs of the war, the huge drawdown of critical U.S. munitions and the bombing of a school that killed children,” and it quoted Hegseth criticizing “the reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.”

The Hill reported that Democrats raised doubts about the Pentagon’s estimate that the Iran war has cost about $25 billion, with Sen. Richard Blumenthal saying the Pentagon’s number is “well below” the actual cost.

The Hill also quoted Sen. Jack Reed saying the $25 billion price tag “if nothing else that help clarifies that we certainly do not need a supplemental anywhere near $100 billion, much less $200 billion.”

Fox News Digital reported that the Pentagon’s acting comptroller, Jules Hurst, told Rep. Adam Smith that “to date, Operation Epic Fury had cost taxpayers $25 billion, and that 'most of that is in munitions.'”

AP News added that lawmakers expected an eventual request closer to $100 billion, while Hegseth defended the war as a “great success” and Reed warned about long-term defeat.

The hearings also became a stage for sharp exchanges over rhetoric, accountability, and whether the administration was providing accurate information to Congress.

The Guardian reported that Sen. Jack Reed told Hegseth that his statements were “dangerously exaggerated,” and it quoted Reed saying, “American families are bearing the cost of a war they wanted nothing to do with and yet, Secretary Hegseth, you declared victory a month ago.”

AP News

Reed also accused Hegseth of failing to provide an accurate picture, saying, “The problem with your statements, Mr Secretary, is they are dangerously exaggerated,” and it added Reed’s warning that “Iran’s hard line regime remains in place.”

The Guardian further described Reed’s critique of Hegseth’s rhetoric about rules of engagement and “no mercy,” including Reed’s quote, “Quote, ‘no stupid rules of engagement’, just days after hundreds of Iranian school girls were tragically killed in a missile strike, you have made troubling statements about showing no mercy and no quarter to the Iranians orders that would constitute war crimes.”

Stars and Stripes reported that Hegseth dismissed the conflict’s critics and told senators, “We are two months into a historic military success in Iran, and you want to call it a defeat,” while it quoted him also saying, “And it’s defeatist Democrats like you that cloud the mind of the American people.”

ABC News described Hegseth criticizing dissent from “cheap seats” and said he told Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal, “It's defeatist Democrats like you that cloud the mind of the American people” and “otherwise fully support” not preventing Iran from pursuing a nuclear weapon.

The Hill reported that Hegseth tangled with Senate Democrats while defending firings of senior military officials and repeating that “the biggest adversary” was “reckless naysayers and defeatist words of congressional Democrats and some Republicans.”

As the 60-day War Powers clock approached, the reporting described a series of procedural and political steps that could determine whether the administration seeks congressional approval or begins withdrawal.

“Takeaways from Hegseth’s first hearings in Congress since the start of Iran war Takeaways from Hegseth’s first hearings in Congress since the start of Iran war WASHINGTON (AP) — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth appeared before Congress at a pair of hourslong hearings this week for the first time since the Trump administration went to war against Iran, with the Pentagon chief facing tough questions from skeptical Democrats”

AP News

ABC News said the deadline “falls on Friday,” and it described the War Powers Resolution as requiring the president to either inform Congress it needs additional time to wind down combat operations or begin bringing forces home, with a one-time 30-day extension allowed.

AP News

Spectrum News reported that Trump directed the U.S. to join Israel in launching strikes on Iran on Feb. 28 and that the administration formally notified Congress on March 2, making Friday the day the 60-day timeframe was set to expire.

Axios said Senate Republicans were calling for clarification of the clock and quoted Sen. Todd Young saying, “We'll take a look at whatever they send over,” while Sen. Josh Hawley said the administration would communicate “in a formal way.”

AP News reported that the deadline was Friday and that Hegseth claimed the “60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” while Kaine said, “I do not believe the statute would support that,” and added “serious constitutional concerns.”

The Hill described the hearings as centered on the Pentagon’s massive $1.5 trillion defense budget request for 2027, and it said Hegseth was joined by Gen. Dan Caine and Jules Hurst III.

Across the coverage, the immediate next step was the Senate’s continued effort to advance war powers resolutions, with ABC News noting the sixth failed attempt and Spectrum News describing that “a half a dozen of such measures have failed to move forward” even as Susan Collins voted with Democrats for the first time.