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According to a report by Al Jazeera English on Saturday 2 May, 2026, questions are beginning to surface in Washington over whether Donald Trump should formally seek congressional approval for the ongoing conflict with Iran — and why he hasn’t done so yet.
At the centre of the debate is the War Powers Resolution, a statute that requires a US president to go back to Congress within a set period — typically 60 days — if American forces are engaged in hostilities. On paper, the rule is straightforward. In practice, though, it has often been stretched, reinterpreted, or quietly sidestepped.
Douglas Silliman, who previously served as ambassador to both Kuwait and Iraq, argues that the current situation is no exception. In his view, the administration is leaning on technicalities and timing arguments to avoid triggering that requirement.
“To my reading of the law, from 60 days when a conflict involving US forces starts, a president must go to the Congress to continue,” he said, pointing to what he sees as a clear legal expectation.
But that clarity, he suggested, is being blurred. According to Silliman, the administration appears to be redefining when the clock actually began — effectively buying more time and delaying any need to formally involve lawmakers. It’s not a new tactic, but it remains controversial.
He also hinted that the reluctance may go beyond legal interpretation. There’s a political dimension here too. From his perspective, the White House may simply not want to be seen as asking permission for military action, especially if the president believes he already has the authority to act.
However, that stance isn’t universally accepted. Many members of Congress — including some within the president’s own party — are likely to challenge the idea that the executive branch can operate independently in matters of war for an extended period.
At the moment, though, the situation remains unresolved. The law is there, the expectations are known, but as often happens in Washington, the lines between legal obligation and political calculation are anything but clear.
