'Critical deadline': Trump running out of time as more Republicans break ranks

Friday marks "a critical deadline" for President Donald Trump and his war with Iran, as The Hill reports that he is running out of time to resolve the conflict while more and more Republicans break ranks and threaten to back measures to force the fighting to stop.

As the deadline loomed, the outlet on Friday morning reported that the milestone now "stands to complicate things" with lawmakers, including a growing number of Republicans, who have "voiced concerns" about the war continuing. Per the War Powers Act, the president requires authorization from Congress for a military conflict after it reaches the 60-day mark, which it will do on May 2, though Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth claimed, dubiously, that the ongoing ceasefire paused the clock on that count.

"And such concerns already played out ahead of the deadline, with Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) on Thursday breaking rank to vote in favor of a war powers resolution to halt military actions against Iran, along with Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)," The Hill reported. "The resolution however, was ultimately defeated for the sixth time by Senate Republicans. Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) previously indicated that the 60-day deadline would be a sticking point for him did not break with the GOP in the latest vote."

The White House has insisted that talks with Iran are continuing to progress, but The Hill noted that negotiations are "effectively stalled" as Trump digs in on his decision to blockade Iranian ports in response to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A statement from the administration also warned lawmakers against trying "to score political points by usurping the Commander-in-Chief’s authority" via a war powers vote, despite Congress having the explicit authority to do so.

"The War Powers Act intends to limit a president’s ability to conduct and continue military action without congressional approval," the outlet added. "Should the hostilities continue past Friday, however, it could prove to be another example of how the president takes another opportunity to bypass the legislative branch’s powers."

In keeping with Trump's own assertions about the war, House Speaker Mike Johnson insisted that a war powers vote was not needed because, he claimed, the U.S. is not actually at war with Iran.

John Ullyot, a former spokesman for the Senate Armed Services Committee and National Security Council spokesman during Trump’s first term, suggested that historical precedent is not on Congress's side, despite the letter of the law.

"Almost every President who has used force over the last 45 years has ignored the 60-day deadline, so it’s hard for Congress to make a case to enforce it this time around,” Ullyot told The Hill. “If Congress were serious about having a voice on hostilities, it would either change the law, or get serious about its oversight responsibilities and withhold funding when the executive doesn’t cooperate. Neither of those will happen, especially whenever Congress is run by the same Party that holds the White House."