60-day War – House Speaker Mike Johnson said President Trump should get a fresh 60-day window for congressional approval if the Iran ceasefire breaks down and hostilities flare again—despite the Trump administration’s position that the ceasefire paused the clock.
The question of whether President Donald Trump can keep fighting Iran without fresh congressional authorization is starting to hinge on a practical detail: what happens if the ceasefire collapses.
House Speaker Mike Johnson told lawmakers are watching the situation closely—and said Trump should be granted a new 60-day deadline to seek authorization under the War Powers Act if hostilities restart in a meaningful way.
Johnson, a constitutional lawyer, said he hopes the Iranians “come to their senses” amid a flare-up in fighting. But if a “tenuous ceasefire continues to break down. ” he suggested the legal process should begin again. giving the White House another full stretch to obtain congressional approval for the military conflict.
The War Powers Act requires the president to withdraw troops from combat zones if Congress does not formally authorize their deployment within 60 days. That deadline came and went nearly two months ago, and no request was filed on Capitol Hill.
Johnson pointed to a legal path the Trump administration has not taken—agreeing with an argument that turns on whether the ceasefire is truly alive.
He said that if hostilities ramped up significantly, Trump could restart the 60-day clock. Johnson described it as having “restart entirely. ” saying the period of ceasefire followed the end of “Operation Epic Fury” weeks earlier and a stretch of “peace. ” while adding that sporadic U.S. military strikes have continued over the last few months.
Negotiators and lawmakers talk as ceasefire frays
In the days since the deadline passed, the Trump administration has argued the ceasefire with Iran paused—or stopped—the clock, and therefore Congress did not need to weigh in. Johnson backed that broad constitutional framing and did so in the context of fast-moving military developments.
Trump’s effort to wind down the war has faced public backlash and growing discontent among lawmakers in both chambers, and the administration has struggled to lock in a long-term peace deal that meets all of Trump’s military objectives.
Twice in recent days. the United States launched retaliatory strikes on Iran after drone attacks on commercial ships in the Strait of Hormuz. Trump accused Iran of violating the ceasefire last week and said in a weekend social media post that the United States could be “forced to militarily complete the job.”.
Johnson said top congressional leaders had been briefed several hours earlier on the conflict by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who has been playing a leading role in negotiating peace with Iran.
“They gave us the update on where they see things, and negotiations that are critically important, and they answered a lot of questions about the forecast of what’s next,” Johnson said.
The call lasted roughly an hour and included Senate Majority Leader John Thune, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and the top-ranking Republican and Democratic members on the House and Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Johnson said the discussion was tightly focused and driven by concern from multiple sides of Congress, noting that “lots of tough questions” were asked and that members of Congress are watching closely.
“members of Congress are watching it very closely, as all Americans are,” Johnson added.
The legal dispute over the clock has practical consequences for Congress. Democrats—and some Republicans—have pressed the administration to end the conflict amid ongoing strikes and a continued military presence in the region.
A request never arrives on Capitol Hill
Trump launched the Iran war on Feb. 28 and never sought congressional authorization. The administration has argued in a memo that an April 7 ceasefire “terminated” hostilities.
Democrats and some Republicans have disputed that view, especially as U.S. forces remained engaged and strikes continued over time.
Both the House and Senate passed resolutions seeking to end the war. The Senate later reversed its position after Trump excoriated lawmakers in a meeting, and two Republicans changed their votes when a similar bill came to the floor.
Strait of Hormuz remains the fault line
The U.S. and Iran traded military strikes in recent days even after signing a preliminary peace deal earlier this month.
That agreement calls for reopening the Strait of Hormuz. But Tehran has sought continued control over the vital shipping route and launched drone attacks last week on two commercial vessels.
In response, the Trump administration carried out military strikes on June 26 and June 27. In the tit-for-tat exchange, Iran fired missiles at bases in Bahrain and Kuwait.
Trump complained about repeated ceasefire violations in a June 27 social media post saying: “There may come a point when we are no longer able to be reasonable. and will be forced to militarily complete the job that we very successfully started.” He added: “If that happens. the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist!”.
War gains and costs as politics tighten
With the midterm election approaching—and with control of Congress at stake—the economic fallout is now part of the political pressure on the administration.
The conflict has driven up inflation, including spikes in the price of gas and other goods. A Quinnipiac University survey released last week found that 60% of voters don’t think the conflict was worth it.
Gas prices have started to come down since the preliminary peace deal was announced, but the latest round of strikes threatens to slow ship traffic through the strait. The Strait of Hormuz carried 20% of the world’s oil before the war.
Johnson said he is focused on the same practical outcome: keeping commerce moving while pushing for a lasting settlement.
“We are very hopeful that the Iranians will cease the hostilities, come to their senses and allow the Strait of Hormuz to remain open for commerce and work toward a lasting peace,” Johnson said.
Where the talks go next
Trump said on Monday that peace talks will resume, with U.S. negotiators heading to Doha, Qatar, later this week.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Trump envoys Jared Kushner and Witkoff will travel to Doha for the talks.
Mike Johnson War Powers Act Trump Iran ceasefire Strait of Hormuz congressional authorization House Speaker Marco Rubio Steve Witkoff War Powers 60-day clock inflation Quinnipiac survey
So they just restart the clock if Iran messes up? Seems like a loophole.
Wait I thought the ceasefire paused everything, like automatically. Now they’re saying it doesn’t? This is confusing as hell.
That War Powers Act thing is basically “prove Congress approved it” but like, Congress never moves fast anyway. If they give him a fresh 60 days, that’s just more time to keep bombing, right? Idk how anyone thinks that’s constitutional.
I don’t even get why they’re arguing about a “clock” like it’s a game timer. If hostilities flare again, I feel like we’re already in it, so what difference does 60 days make? Also didn’t this already happen in some other year with Iran? Feels like the same headline every time.