U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth speaks during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on U.S. President Donald Trump’s FY2027 budget request for the Department of Defense on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., April 30, 2026.
Eric Lee | reuters
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said President Donald Trump does not need congressional approval to resume attacks on Iran despite exceeding the 60-day limit allowed under federal law.
Hegseth’s testimony Tuesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee came as the Trump administration exceeded the 60-day limit required by the 1973 War Powers Resolution to seek congressional approval for the use of military force. The administration said in early May that hostilities with Iran had ended, so it was not seeking authorization.
However, Hegseth said during questioning from Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, that Trump would have the authority to resume strikes if he deems it necessary.
“If the president decides to reopen, we will have all the authorities necessary to do that,” Hegseth said.
Murkowski further pressed Hegseth, asking whether it “would be helpful to the President if it were made clear that, in fact, Congress provided AUMF?”
“Our view is that they have all the rights required under Article 2,” Hegseth said, referring to that section of the U.S. Constitution.
Hegseth was on Capitol Hill to testify on the administration’s huge, nearly $1.5 trillion budget request for the 2027 fiscal year. But the hearing was overshadowed by the shadow of war with Iran, especially as the US and Iran remain locked in talks to end the conflict and under a shaky ceasefire.
The war, now in its third month, has caused gas prices to rise in the US Oil To grow globally as Iran continues to close the Strait of Hormuz, which carried 20% of the world’s oil before the Iran war.
The War Powers Resolution requires Trump to seek congressional consent for continued use of military force for more than 60 days. The administration has argued that the law is unconstitutional and that the President has the authority to conduct military operations under Article 2 of the Constitution.
The President told Congress that hostilities had ended on May 1, which date would have been the deadline for congressional authorization.
However, Murkowski seemed to express concern over the administration’s reading of the legislation.
He said, “The war powers resolution here is quite clear; it requires the President to cease hostilities within 60 days without the permission of Congress.” “It does not appear that hostilities have ended.”