Murkowski presses Senate Republican Conference on 60-day Iran deadline

Lisa Murkowski used the Senate floor on May 5, 2026, to press the senate republican conference and the rest of Congress on the conflict involving Iran as the 60-day War Powers Act limit drew near. She said the President was nearing the limit for military operations not authorized by Congress.

Murkowski cast the issue as one of congressional power, telling senators, "Mr. President, I’m here to speak this afternoon about the conflict involving Iran, and more specifically, the role of Congress within it." She also said, "The Constitution is clear on this point, Congress holds the power to declare war and authorize the use of military force."

May 5 Senate remarks

Her remarks came on Thursday, May 5, 2026, while Congress approached the 60-day mark under the War Powers Act. Murkowski said the United States was at war with Iran and argued that the President must spell out goals, plans and metrics for success in any continuing military campaign.

She added, "The answer, I believe, relies on careful, deliberate use of congressional power." In the same speech, she said, "And yes, the President must have flexibility to respond to emergencies and imminent threats, and he does."

War Powers deadline

Murkowski said the answer was not a blank check for another endless war. She also rejected "open ended authority for the administration with no guardrails, no oversight from Congress, and no clearly defined mission."

That language put the immediate choice back on Congress: whether to authorize continued military action and on what terms. Murkowski said lawmakers should not surrender the power to define the mission or the limits of force while the deadline neared.

Congress and Iran

In her remarks, Murkowski said the Iranian regime had killed thousands of Americans over the years through its proxies and networks, and that it continued to disrupt shipping through the Straits of Hormuz. She also said that over 47 years, the Islamic Revolutionary Guards brutalized their own people.

For senators now weighing the conflict, her speech tied the deadline to a broader demand for a vote, a stated mission and oversight from Congress. The question before them is not whether the administration can act in an emergency, but whether that authority extends into a continuing campaign without a new authorization.