Trump Faces Friday War Powers Deadline to End Iran War or Seek Congress Approval

A decades-old legal timeline is closing in on President Donald Trump’s administration as the 60-day War Powers deadline for the Iran war falls on Friday, with multiple outlets describing how the clock was triggered and what Congress must do next.

“The 60-day War Powers deadline falls on Friday”

ABC News

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said the 60-day period ends on Friday, May 1, local time, after the US and Israel began joint air strikes on Iran on February 28 and Trump notified Congress within 48 hours on March 2.

ABC News

The Washington Post reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued Thursday that the Trump administration can continue the Iran war despite a Vietnam-era law that requires Congress’s approval after 60 days of fighting, with the time limit set to expire Friday.

ABC News likewise said the White House has not said what it will do when the deadline is up, and that under the War Powers Resolution the president must either present a case to Congress for more time to withdraw U.S. forces or seek congressional approval to continue operations once the 60 days end.

CBS News framed the same deadline as a point that could set up a clash with Republicans in Congress, noting that the president must withdraw American forces from a conflict in the absence of congressional authorization.

In parallel, The Times of Israel (Reuters) described the deadline as one Trump must either use to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, while analysts expected the date to pass without altering the standoff over shipping routes.

Central to the legal fight is whether a ceasefire can pause the War Powers clock, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth telling lawmakers that the countdown stops.

ABC News reported that Hegseth told Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine, "We are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire," and that Kaine responded, "It's going to pose a really important legal question for the administration ... we have serious constitutional concerns and we don't want to layer those with additional statutory concerns."

Al Jazeera

CNBC similarly said Hegseth suggested Thursday that the ongoing ceasefire nullifies that cutoff date, quoting his view that the statutory countdown clock "pauses or stops in a ceasefire."

CBS News also captured the same argument, reporting that Hegseth expressed doubt that the 60-day window was closing this week and saying, "We are in a ceasefire right now, which in our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire."

In contrast, ABC News said Kaine was dubious that the statute would support Hegseth’s claim, and CNBC immediately followed with Kaine’s reply, "I do not believe the statute would support that."

The dispute is occurring while the ceasefire itself is described as already in effect, with CNBC stating that the U.S. and Iran are currently in a ceasefire that was first announced on April 7.

As the deadline approaches, the reporting emphasizes how partisan war powers votes have repeatedly failed, leaving Congress without a clear authorization path.

ABC News said Democrats have attempted six times to push forward an Iran War Powers Resolution to no avail as Republicans argued the president is well within his authority to act against the imminent threat they argue Iran poses, and that those War Powers efforts from Democrats are expected to continue when the Senate returns from its weeklong recess.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation described how Republicans voted down a series of Democratic-led resolutions aimed at halting the war, and it cited a House vote on April 16 where Republicans narrowly blocked a Democrat-led resolution to halt the war with a 214 to 213 vote.

It also reported that Senate Majority Leader John Thune had not confirmed plans to authorize the war and that several GOP politicians, including senators Susie Collins and John Curtis, indicated they would not support the war beyond the 60-day deadline unless Trump gains congressional authorization.

CBS News added that Republican Sen. John Curtis said he would "not support ongoing military action beyond a 60-day window without congressional approval," and it quoted his view that "A period of 60 days is a fully sufficient window for presidents to take emergency measures" before remitting the decision to elected representatives.

At the same time, the reporting shows the White House and some congressional leaders arguing Congress does not need to act, with CBS News quoting House Speaker Mike Johnson telling NBC News that Congress doesn’t need to act because the U.S. is "not at war."

Multiple outlets lay out the immediate decision points Congress and the White House face as the deadline arrives, including whether Trump will seek authorization, pursue a 30-day extension, or argue the ceasefire changes the legal calculus.

ABC News said the president must either present a case to Congress that more time is needed to withdraw U.S. forces from the region or seek congressional approval to continue the operations once the 60 days are up, and it reported that the White House would not say whether it would move forward with a formal authorization request, only that there are "active conversations with the Hill on this topic."

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

The Times of Israel (Reuters) similarly said analysts and US congressional aides expected Trump to either notify Congress that he plans a 30-day extension or disregard the deadline, with the administration arguing that a current ceasefire with Tehran marked an end to the conflict.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation explained the War Powers Resolution’s structure, saying that if Congress doesn’t authorize continuing the campaign, the War Powers Resolution allows the president to give himself a one-time, 30-day extension, but that the extension would not grant authority to continue waging an offensive campaign.

CBS News added that the law allows the president to extend the period for an additional 30 days to safely withdraw forces from hostilities, but it does not grant him authority to continue an offensive campaign, quoting David Janovsky saying, "It's not a 30-day blank check for the president to continue whatever hostilities he sees fit."

ABC News also described Congress’ options as either continuing attempts at passing a War Powers Resolution to force an end to hostilities or passing an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), which would give the president authorization "to use all necessary and appropriate force."

Beyond the legal deadline, the reporting ties the War Powers fight to the operational and economic stakes of the Iran conflict, including shipping routes and the Strait of Hormuz.

“Washington — President faces a key deadline in the on Friday under a decades-old law that limits the use of force without authorization from Congress”

CBS News

CNBC said the U.S. and Iran are in a deadlock in which Iran’s de facto stoppage of ship traffic through the strait and the U.S.’ retaliatory naval blockade of Iranian ports have resulted in a deadlock, and it described the blockage of the strait as causing a global oil supply shock that has sent prices soaring.

CBS News

The Times of Israel (Reuters) said the conflict has lapsed into a standoff over shipping routes and that ending the war appears highly unlikely, while it described Iran’s warning that if Washington renewed attacks it would respond with “long and painful strikes” on U.S. positions.

The Globe and Mail (Western Mainstream) similarly said the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil chokepoint, has created an energy crisis, and it described the war as unpopular among Americans six months before November elections.

ABC News said the fate of Iran’s nuclear program remains a central issue and that the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz has created an energy crisis, while it described the fighting as mostly paused since the U.S. and Iran agreed to a ceasefire on April 8 to allow for talks.

CNBC also described CENTCOM preparing a plan for a "short and powerful" wave of strikes and other options discussed by Axios, while Trump told reporters, "I don't want to rush it; I want to take my time," as the deadline nears.