Semafor reports:
President Donald Trump notified Hill leaders on Friday, the 60th day of the Iran war, that US hostilities with Tehran are over — for now — and thus don’t need congressional authorization.
There is some confusion about what the War Powers Act as it says the president needs to seek authorization from Congress for a war longer than 60 days, which is today.
Several Republican Senators warned that if the conflict continued beyond today, that Congress would need to authorize it. While Trump make the case that the war is over and the clock would restart, it doesn’t sound like members of his own party accept that. It would also create a precedent that could ultimately remove the power of Congress to authorize (or stop) wars.
It’s Friday so there is the usual angst about the war restarting on the weekend. It’s extremely tough to predict what Trump will do and I highly doubt he will let some Congressional barking stop him. What could stop him instead are plunging support numbers that would seriously endanger many members of Congress in the midterms if gas prices stay where they are.
