A decades-old law allows the president to wage war without congressional approval for 60 days, then limits his options for continuing. President Trump may seek to get around it.
Over nearly eight weeks of war in Iran, Republicans in Congress have turned back repeated efforts by Democrats to halt the operation and force President Trump, who began the conflict without congressional authorization, to consult with lawmakers on the military campaign.
But some in the G.O.P. have signaled that a key statutory deadline in the coming weeks could be an inflection point when they will expect the president to either wind down the conflict or seek congressional approval to continue it.
Democrats have tried and failed several times to invoke a provision of the 1973 War Powers Resolution, a law aimed at curbing a president’s ability to wage war without congressional approval, to challenge the conflict in Iran. The latest defeat came on Wednesday, when Senate Republicans blocked such a measure for the fifth time since the war began.
Yet the law also establishes a set of deadlines, the first of which is coming on May 1, that could increase the pressure on the Trump administration in the coming days. Here is what the law says about how long a president can continue to direct U.S. forces in a conflict without congressional approval.
The 60-Day Mark
When the United States began joint strikes with the Israeli air force on Feb. 28, the president said he was acting under his authority as commander in chief to protect U.S. bases in the Middle East, and to “advance vital United States national interests.” He said the action was taken in “collective self-defense of our regional allies, including Israel.”
Many Democrats disputed that justification and have continued to argue that Mr. Trump acted illegally. White House officials and most Republicans on Capitol Hill say he is operating within the bounds of the war powers statute, which sets a 60-day clock for a president to remove American forces from hostilities without congressional authorization to use military force.