Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth says President Donald Trump can order new military strikes against Iran without asking Congress for permission. Hegseth claims the president holds this power even though the military has already imposed a strict 60-day federal limit on fighting without lawmakers stepping in.
Hegseth shared these views on Tuesday while speaking directly to the Senate Appropriations Committee. He originally traveled to Capitol Hill to explain the massive $1.5 trillion military budget request for the 2027 fiscal year. He wanted to detail how the Pentagon plans to spend the money on new weapons and troop training. However, the ongoing conflict with Iran quickly dominated the conversation.
The War Powers Resolution of 1973 forces a president to get official approval from Congress if military action lasts longer than 60 days. Trump hit that exact deadline on May 1. On that day, the president simply told lawmakers that all combat operations had stopped. Because he declared a sudden ceasefire, his administration decided it did not need to seek a formal vote from Congress to continue the war.
Senator Lisa Murkowski, a Republican from Alaska, heavily questioned this strategy during the Tuesday hearing. She pressed the defense secretary about the current, unstable ceasefire between the two countries. She wanted to know what the military would do if the peace deal failed and Trump decided to attack Iranian targets again.
Hegseth answered her questions directly and confidently. He told the committee that Trump holds total authority to restart the bombing campaigns whenever he deems it necessary. Hegseth pointed to Article 2 of the United States Constitution, which defines the president’s legal powers. He stated this specific section gives Trump all the permission he needs to launch new attacks.
Murkowski pushed back hard against this legal theory. She asked Hegseth if a formal vote from Congress would actually help the president manage the crisis better. The senator reminded the defense secretary that the 1973 federal law sets very clear and strict rules for the White House to follow.
She read the legal requirements out loud to the room. She noted that the law requires the president to end all hostilities within 60 days unless Congress officially says otherwise. Murkowski then expressed deep concern about the administration’s claim that the fighting actually stopped on May 1. She told Hegseth that the violence and hostilities simply do not appear to have ended at all.
While politicians argue over legal authority in Washington, the military standoff is severely damaging the global economy. The conflict recently entered its third month. American and Iranian diplomats continue to fight over negotiation terms while a very shaky peace agreement barely holds the two armies back from total war.
Meanwhile, Iran still blocks commercial cargo ships from traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. Before the shooting started earlier this year, this narrow stretch of water carried exactly 20 percent of the total global oil supply. Because Iran has locked down the vital waterway, ships cannot safely deliver their energy cargo to other countries.
This massive disruption causes huge financial problems for regular citizens. Gas prices across the United States continue to spike every single week. At the same time, crude oil costs soar in global markets. Everyday drivers pay the ultimate price at the gas pump while the two nations refuse to back down and make a deal.
Trump and his legal team consistently argue that the War Powers Resolution completely violates the Constitution. They firmly believe the president can run military operations alone using his Article 2 powers. Lawmakers now wait nervously to see if Trump will ignore their authority and restart the war on his own.
