DEMOCRATS CALL CONFLICT A COSTLY WAR OF CHOICE
Democrats call it a costly war of choice that lacks congressional approval or oversight. But they have failed to pass multiple war powers resolutions that would have required Trump to halt the conflict until Congress authorises further action.
Under the War Powers Act of 1973, Congress must declare war or authorise use of force within 60 days – a deadline that arrives Friday. The law provides for a potential 30-day extension, but the Republican administration has not indicated publicly whether Trump will seek it.
The administration is in “active conversations” with lawmakers on addressing the 60-day timeline, according to a White House official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.
Meanwhile, questions that lawmakers have wanted to ask since the war began on Feb 28 were answered – or evaded – at Wednesday’s hearing.
For example, the war has cost US$25 billion, mostly in munitions, Pentagon officials said. But Hegseth refused to answer questions about how much longer the war would last or how much more it could cost.
Hegseth also said a deadly strike on an Iranian elementary school that killed more than 165 people, including children, remains under investigation. The Associated Press has reported that growing evidence pointed to US culpability for the strike, which hit a school adjacent to a Revolutionary Guard base.
