Senate rejected Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time

This is one of the most constitutionally significant stories of the moment and it connects directly to everything we've been discussing about institutional checks failing in real time.

The background starts with the War Powers Resolution of 1973, passed in the wake of Vietnam specifically to claw back congressional authority over military action. Under the law, Congress must declare war or authorize the use of force within 60 days of the president notifying them of hostilities, or within 90 days if the president asks for an extension. Center for Reproductive Rights

U.S. military strikes on Iran officially began on February 28, but the Trump administration notified Congress of the conflict on March 2, starting the 60-day clock then. A temporary ceasefire went into effect on April 8 to give the U.S. and Iran room to negotiate and to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, but talks have not produced results. The U.S. has a naval blockade of Iranian ports and is using more than 100 fighter and surveillance aircraft, two carrier strike groups and more than a dozen ships to enforce the blockade. A Navy destroyer fired on and hit an Iranian-flagged cargo ship that attempted to move through the blockade. Latin Times

When the 60-day deadline arrived, Trump's response was to simply declare the war over. Trump told reporters he considers seeking congressional authorization under the War Powers Act "unconstitutional" and falsely claimed other presidents had not done so. His letter to Congress argued that because a ceasefire was in effect, the hostilities had "terminated" — even while simultaneously acknowledging that "the threat posed by Iran to the United States and our Armed Forces remains significant." Latin Times

Legal experts were unconvinced. Michael Glennon, a professor of constitutional and international law at Tufts who served as legal counsel to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in the 1970s when the War Powers Resolution was being written, said Trump's argument "is a stretch" and that the administration is not correct in arguing the clock has stopped, because "the hostilities are continuing as a consequence of the administration's enforcement of the blockade." Latin Times

Congress's response has been the most revealing part. The Senate rejected a Democratic attempt to halt the war for a sixth time, and lawmakers then left town Thursday for a week-long recess as the deadline passed. Senate Majority Leader John Thune said he did not plan on a vote to authorize force in Iran or otherwise weigh in. Center for Reproductive Rights

A handful of Republicans have expressed discomfort. Senator Susan Collins stated that "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." Senator Todd Young of Indiana said lawmakers "must ensure that the people, through their elected representatives, weigh in on whether to send our military into combat." But neither translated their stated concern into action. Rolling Stone

Some GOP senators are growing uneasy about the war's timeline, which Trump initially said would last a few weeks. But most Republican lawmakers say they are supportive of Trump's wartime leadership or are at least willing to give him more time amid the fragile ceasefire. The reluctance to defy Trump on the war comes at a politically perilous time for Republicans, with public frustration mounting both over the conflict and its impact on gas prices. Center for Reproductive Rights

The through line connecting this to everything else we've discussed today is unmistakable. The same dynamic that kept Republicans silent on the $1.7 billion DOJ fund, the same dynamic that ended Cassidy's career and may end Massie's today, is the dynamic that allowed a president to take the country to war, blow past the constitutional deadline for congressional authorization, declare the war over while maintaining a naval blockade, and face essentially no institutional resistance from the branch of government specifically designed by the founders to hold that power.