Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) voted on Thursday in favor of a War Powers Resolution to end the war in Iran just ahead of the war’s 60-day mark despite an earlier vote to allow it to continue.
[RELATED: Collins Votes Against Iran War Powers Resolution, Warns It Would “Send the Wrong Message” to Tehran…]
“As I have said since these hostilities began, the President’s authority as Commander-in-Chief is not without limits. The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorize or end U.S. involvement in foreign hostilities. That deadline is not a suggestion; it is a requirement,” said Sen. Collins.
“Further military action against Iran must have a clear mission, achievable goals, and a defined strategy for bringing the conflict to a close. I voted to end the continuation of these military hostilities at this time until such a case is made,” she added.
The vote came ahead of the war’s 60-day mark, where, under the War Powers Act, the president is required to cease hostilities unless Congress votes to declare war or extend the deadline. The President can extend it by 30 days if such an extension is required for the safe withdrawal of troops.
Thursday’s vote, a procedural vote to advance the resolution, came one day ahead of the 60-day mark since Congress was first notified of the start of hostilities on March second.
The final tally was 50-47 against moving the resolution forward, with Collins and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) being the only Republicans to support it. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Penn.) was the only Democrat to vote against the resolution.
Though May 1 marks the 60-day deadline, members of the Administration have argued that the current state of ceasefire should not count towards that 60-day deadline.
“We are in a ceasefire right now, which in our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” said Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee Thursday.
Speaker for the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) made a similar claim while speaking with NBC News.
“I don’t think we have an active, kinetic military bombing, firing or anything like that. Right now, we are trying to broker a peace,” said Rep. Johnson. “I would be very reluctant to get in front of the administration in the midst of these very sensitive negotiations, so we’ll have to see how that plays out.”
