Trump tells Congress hostilities in Iran 'have terminated' amid 60-day deadline

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump, facing the end of a 60-day deadline for Congress to declare war, told lawmakers in a May 1 letter that U.S. military hostilities in Iran "have terminated," even though U.S. forces remain in the region.

"On April 7, 2026, I ordered a 2-week ceasefire. The ceasefire has since been extended," he wrote in the letter, which was obtained by USA TODAY.

"There has been no exchange of fire between United States Forces and Iran since April 7, 2026," Trump wrote. "The hostilities that began on February 28, 2026, have terminated."

Amid the 60-day mark, the missive didn't really mark an official end to the conflict, especially with troops still stationed in the Middle East. It was more so part of the White House's efforts to assuage the concerns of Capitol Hill lawmakers, many of whom believe the president's ongoing actions now need congressional approval under the War Powers Act.

Slight cracks in Republicans ranks were starting to show April 30, as the Senate considered advancing a resolution to halt American involvement in the war. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, defected from her party and voted with Democrats.

Before the vote, Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth tried to convince senators that the ceasefire had already paused the 60-day clock. Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Virginia, who has been leading Senate Democrats' opposition to the Iran war, didn't buy that argument.

"I do not believe the statute would support that," he said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said she's preparing to put an Authorization for Use of Military Force, which is more limited than a formal declaration of war, up for a vote. Congress passed an AUMF in the wake of 9/11, launching the so-called War on Terror.

An AUMF, in her opinion, would place necessary constraints on the White House and better involve lawmakers in military planning while not withdrawing American forces from the region too abruptly.

"The president should've come to Congress before engaging in military action at the scale that we're seeing now," Murkowski said on the Senate floor. "That regrettably did not happen, so we're now in a position where Congress must step in, not to abruptly end operations, but to define them."

Zachary Schermele is a congressional reporter for USA TODAY. You can reach him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social.