War powers deadline hits as White House and Congress split on Iran

Today marks 60 days since the United States entered the war with Iran

And now there is a growing fight in Washington over whether the president needs Congress to sign off on what happens next

At a Senate hearing, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth argued the administration does not have to seek authorization yet

saying the current ceasefire pauses that 60-day clock. Ultimately, I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that

However, we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire

I do not believe the statute would support that. I think the 60 days runs maybe tomorrow, and it's going to pose a really important legal question for the administration

Under the War Powers Act, presidents have 60 days to continue military action without approval from Congress

That deadline is now here, and lawmakers do not agree on whether it still applies

Some Republicans say the president has more time Others say Congress needs to weigh in now The conflict itself is largely paused under a ceasefire but U forces remain in the region and tensions haven gone away

President Trump, meanwhile, told reporters on Thursday that Iran is ready to negotiate

I mean, Iran is dying to make a deal. I can only tell you that. I don't want to get into it, but

they cannot be nuclear other than that. But they are, the Navy's gone, their air force is

gone. Every ounce of any form of equipment practically is gone. They want to make a deal

badly. We have a problem because nobody knows for sure who the leaders are. It's a little bit of a

problem. The leaders have been wiped out along with their military. Talks have stalled and the

administration has not said whether it will ask Congress to authorize the war. That's now drawing

a line from some Republicans. Senator Lisa Murkowski says she will introduce a measure

to force a vote on the war if the White House does not present a clear plan within the next week