“The reality,” he said, is that “by staying more than 90 days without permission from Congress, Hegseth is breaking the law and needs to be held responsible.”
According to the War Powers Resolution from 1973, a president has to stop any U.S.
military action that isn’t approved by Congress within 60 days.They can have up to 30 more days to safely bring troops home, unless Congress decides to go to war or gives approval for the operation.
The fighting in Iran started on February 28.
A temporary pause was agreed on in April, but it was broken again in June.Since then, the U.S.and Iran have kept sending deadly attacks at each other.
Let me explain this absurd ruse: The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire.
— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 24, 2026
The reality: By going more than 90 days without congressional authorization @SecWar IS BREAKING THE LAW and must be held accountable. https://t.co/SuHcGkJcD3
Also on Thursday, Massie, along with other Republican lawmakers Brian Fitzpatrick, Tom Barrett, and Warren Davidson, voted against their party to limit Trump’s war powers.
The measure passed in the House for the second time, with 214 votes in favor and 208 against.
As NPR’s Claudia Grisales explained, “Although it’s not legally binding, the resolution is a symbolic criticism of Trump.”
Meanwhile, the Senate voted 47 to 49 on Thursday to reject a joint resolution that would have legally ended the war in Iran.
However, the resolution could still be blocked by the president’s veto.
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