Senate

Top Democrat: Trump Project Freedom pause another example of ‘strategic incoherence’

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/06/26 9:24 AM ET

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by Ashleigh Fields - 05/06/26 9:24 AM ET

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Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) on Tuesday said President Trump’s pause on Project Freedom, the U.S. military’s plan to escort ships out of the Strait of Hormuz, is another example of the leader’s “strategic incoherence.”

“This is another example of the strategic incoherence that has dominated this whole operation. The president did not get the authority to conduct this war,” Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said during an appearance on CNN’s “AC360.”

“He then entered into a conflict with very ill-defined objectives and with attempts to supposedly eliminate their uranium and enrich uranium products to change the regime,” the senator added.

Reed noted that the War Powers Act is “very clear” regarding the timeline of deploying troops into a conflict. After the 60-day mark, which was reached last week, a president must seek congressional approval to extend a military operation.

Trump announced Tuesday evening that Project Freedom would be halted at the request of Pakistan, who has served as a key moderator during U.S.-Iran peace talks, and other countries. Despite the pause, the president said the U.S. naval blockade of ships in the Strait of Hormuz would remain in place.

The Rhode Island Democrat panned Trump’s fleeting stance on the war as strategically ineffective, telling guest host John Berman, “You can’t take a timeout like in football.”

“It’s clear that within 60 days of beginning hostilities the President of the United States must either cease hostilities or get the permission of Congress,” Reed continued. “You can’t take a timeout like in football and say ‘oh timeout.'”

“That’s the legislation and the President frankly should have come to us before he even started the hostilities and asked for authority. No, they’re just voiding their legal and constitutional responsibilities,” he added.

The Trump administration defended Project Freedom as the U.S. and Tehran battle over control of the Strait of Hormuz and described it as a completely separate initiative from Operation Epic Fury — which the president and allies said ended when the temporary ceasefire began.

The administration has also pushed back on the War Powers Act, calling the 60-day threshold “unconstitutional.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Tuesday said Project Freedom was “not an offensive operation.”

“This is a defensive operation,” he told reporters during a White House press briefing on Tuesday. “And what that means is very simple, there’s no shooting unless we’re shot at first.”

The U.S. and Iran are reportedly nearing an agreement on a one-page memo to end the more than two-month conflict, a source familiar told NewsNation, The Hill’s sister network. The deal would establish a framework for future talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.

The Iranian regime has not publicly declared whether or not they will enter into the peace deal.

“Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran,” Trump wrote in a Wednesday Truth Social post.

“If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before,” he added.

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