A Democratic lawmaker raised red flags over a rhetorical shift in Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's latest press briefing on the Iran war.
The Pentagon chief repeatedly stressed that Project Freedom, an effort to move ships through the Strait of Hormuz, was separate from Operation Epic Fury, and CNN's John Berman asked Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY) about the significance of Hegseth's point of emphasis.
"Well, they're trying to getaround the Constitution,frankly, which is very clearthat a war which we arecertainly in requires theconsent of the people throughthe Congress," said Ryan, a West Point graduate and combat veteran who serves on the House Armed Services Committee. "Last week theyput up a total BS argument, sometwisted legal logic that we werecalling a pause, almost likeit's a video game or something, and somehow the clock stops onthis war, which is just not whatthe law calls for, and nowthey're trying to get reallycute here, almost, and say,well, this is somethingdifferent."
"The reality for ourtroops on the ground is this is all part of a war that thepresident started over twomonths ago," Ryan added, "and the reality forthe American people at the pump,at the grocery store andeverywhere else, as costs areskyrocketing, is that this isall part of this same war, andwe've seen, unfortunately, thelevel of angst and concern amongpublic polling. The Americanpeople see what's happening, and,unfortunately, they are notsupportive of this."
The War Powers Act of 1973 requires the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of deploying troops and then mandates their withdrawal after 60 days unless Congress declares war, and Ryan said the rhetorical sleight of hand seems to be intended to restart that clock.
"Anyobjective observer would saythis war was initiated, youknow, Feb. 28," Ryan said. "The thingsthat flow from it, whichcertainly is, I mean, the straitwas wide open before this. Nowwe're stuck in a situationwhere, as we all know, thestrait is closed. We'reblockading a blockade, whichmakes very little sense, andessentially both sides arepaying the price here, and thisis the president flailing to tryto get us out of this and,again, the people who pay theprice are our troops and the American people, so I don't buythis."