This article is made possible through Spotlight PA’s partnership with NOTUS, a nonpartisan news organization that covers government and politics with the fresh eyes of early career journalists and the expertise of veteran reporters.
For the seventh time since the Iran war began, the Senate rejected a measure Wednesday aimed at limiting President Donald Trump’s authority over the military conflict. It was the first vote since the 60-day deadline under the War Powers Resolution expired earlier this month.
The measure, introduced by Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley, failed 50-49. Republican Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins and Rand Paul voted with Democrats in support, while Democratic Sen. John Fetterman opposed it.
“You’ve got a timeline that has taken us beyond the 60 days,” Murkowski told NOTUS after flipping to voting for the limits for the first time. “I thought that perhaps we would get beyond that time period, we would get more clarity from the administration in terms of where we are, and I haven’t received it.”
Wednesday’s vote carried more weight than earlier attempts because it came after the statutory 60-day limit had already passed. Several Republicans had previously said that the deadline would force Congress to take action and reassess the war. That moment did not arrive Wednesday.
“Today is the first test of their fidelity to the principle that they have laid down,” Democratic Sen. Tim Kaine said ahead of the vote.
The Trump administration has argued that the 60-day clock never ran out. Pentagon officials said Operation Epic Fury ended before the 60-day mark and that the current phase is separate, defined by ceasefire conditions and deterrence rather than active hostilities that would require new congressional authorization.
Many Republican lawmakers have accepted that view.
“I welcome [the president’s] statement that hostilities have been terminated,” Republican Sen. Josh Hawley said Tuesday. “I think that that satisfies. I think he is now within the bounds of the statute.”
That argument has raised a broader question in Congress about whether the executive branch can sidestep war powers limits by changing how it labels an ongoing conflict even as U.S. forces remain engaged in the region.
Democrats have largely rejected such an argument. Merkley said the law does not allow the administration to pause or reset the clock through reclassification.
“There’s no provision of the law for being suspended,” Merkley said. “There’s no cessation of war activities that would say the war is over.”
On the ground, the conflict has not fully stopped. While airstrikes have eased under the reported ceasefire, U.S. forces remain deployed in the region, a blockade of Iranian ports remains in place, and maritime tensions continue in surrounding waters alongside intermittent exchanges involving Iranian and U.S. forces.
A few Republicans said ahead of the vote that the 60-day clock remains relevant, even as most of the party aligned with the White House’s view.
“The 60 days apply to areas of hostilities or imminent hostilities,” Sen. Mike Rounds said Tuesday. “As long as [Iran still has] nuclear weapons materials there, it still applies.”
He said the administration could extend the timeline beyond 60 days, including up to 90 days if needed. Rounds also said he is not backing a new authorization of military force, but argued that a broader debate over one could help Congress discuss the future direction of the conflict.
“I’ve said from the beginning that the 60-day trigger and the War Powers Act is very clear … which is why I voted as I did. But that’s not a new position,” Collins said Tuesday.
Murkowski previously warned she could pursue an authorization for use of military force if the administration failed to present what she called a credible plan after the war passed the 60-day mark.
“I’ve suggested to the administration it would be helpful if Congress were to move forward with an AUMF,” Murkowski said before casting her vote.
An AUMF effort also would face steep procedural hurdles, since it is not privileged like war powers resolutions and is likely to remain stuck in committee.
Since the U.S. and Iran reached a ceasefire recently, the Pentagon launched an operation in the Strait of Hormuz dubbed Project Freedom, which it says is distinct from Operation Epic Fury. The Pentagon is reportedly considering the name Operation Sledgehammer if it resumes strikes.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in a hearing Tuesday that the president has the requisite authorities under the Constitution’s Article II to take further military action if the ceasefire falls apart.
“Our view is that should the president make the decision recommence, that we would have all the authorities necessary to do so,” he said.
Republican Sen. John Curtis previously said he would not support continued funding for military operations without Congress being directly involved.