Administration

GOP Sen. Young: Trump should work with Congress on any future Iran strikes

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by Sophie Brams - 05/01/26 9:32 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 05/01/26 9:32 PM ET

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Sen. Todd Young (R-Indiana) said on Friday that the Trump administration would need to seek congressional approval before renewing military action against Iran, after officials asserted the 60-day war powers clock stopped running when the ceasefire took effect.

“The purpose of the War Powers Act was to assert the constitutional responsibility of Congress to declare war,” Young said in a statement to The Hill. “We must ensure that the people, through their elected representatives, weigh in on whether to send our military into combat. This should not be controversial.”

President Trump notified Congress of the military operation in a March 2 letter, which put the conflict’s length at 60 days as of Friday, the deadline set by the War Powers Act for the president to wind down the war unless he obtains congressional authorization.

However, a senior Trump administration official argued Thursday that the campaign was effectively “terminated” when Trump announced a temporary truce with Tehran on April 7, resetting the clock “for War Powers Resolution purposes.”

It was the same argument Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth made during a Senate Armed Services Committee briefing earlier in the day.

Young said on Friday that the administration’s stance meant “there should be no hostilities moving forward,” and he expected them to work with lawmakers on a military force authorization should fighting resume.

Trump doubled down on the timeline extension in a formal letter to Congress on Friday, telling the body there had been “no exchange of fire” since the start of the ceasefire, but the threat posed by Tehran “remains significant.”

“Accordingly, the Department of War continues to update its force posture in the AoR [Area of Responsibility] in select countries, as necessary and appropriate, to address Iranian and Iranian proxy forces’ threats and to protect the United States and its allies and partners,” the president wrote, in part.

Steadfast Republican support for the war showed signs of strain on Thursday, when Sen. Susan Collins (R‑Maine) joined Democrats and Sen. Rand Paul (R‑Ky.) in voting to curtail Trump’s authority to wage further military action without congressional approval.

The war powers vote was ultimately defeated for a sixth time, however. Young sided with all other Republicans in opposing it.

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of military action in response to an imminent threat and prohibits armed forces from remaining for longer than 60 days without a vote from Congress. The president may also request a 30-day extension to ensure the safe withdrawal of troops.

Asked on Friday whether he would now seek approval from lawmakers now that the conflict has reached that deadline, Trump quickly dismissed the possibility.

“It’s never been sought before, there’s been numerous, many, many times and nobody’s ever gotten it before, they consider it totally unconstitutional,” Trump told reporters at the White House ahead of his departure for Florida.

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