A deadline for the Trump administration to seek congressional approval for the Iran war or end the conflict looked set to pass on Friday without action from lawmakers.
Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune said Thursday he doesn’t plan to intervene or hold a vote to authorize force in Iran: “I’m listening carefully to what the members of our conference are saying, and at this point I don’t see that,” he said.
The Trump administration says it believes the law that obligates the president to seek congressional authorization after 60 days of conflict doesn’t apply because hostilities with Iran were “terminated” by a ceasefire implemented on April 7.
Republican Senator Kevin Cramer of North Dakota said he would vote to authorize the war if President Donald Trump asked for it, dw.com reports.
Several other Republicans, who initially backed limited action against Tehran, have said they would like to see Congress have a say on a longer operation.
Utah’s John Curtis said the 60-day deadline demands action and that he would not support more funding for the war without lawmakers’ authorization.
“It is time for decision-making from both the administration and from Congress — and that can happen in league with one another, not in conflict,” Curtis said.
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said she will introduce a limited authorized use of military force if the administration does not present what she called a “credible plan.”
“I do not believe we should engage in open-ended military action without clear accountability,” Murkowski said. “Congress has a role.”
Maine Senator Susan Collins, who on Thursday voted for the first time in favor of a Democrat resolution to end military action in Iran, said the 60-day deadline is “not a suggestion, it is a requirement.”
“The president’s authority as commander-in-chief is not without limits,” she said.
The war and its connected costs has become increasingly unpopular, likely leaving some Republican lawmakers worried ahead of the mid-term elections coming up later this year.
