- Utah Reps. Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy weigh in on Congress's role if Iran conflict continues.
- The War Powers Resolution limits military action without Congress to 60 days.
- Both express support for preventing Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
SALT LAKE CITY — Utahns in Congress are mulling possible congressional action more than two months after the beginning of the military conflict in Iran.
Reps. Blake Moore and Celeste Maloy, both Republicans, said Congress will need to act if the conflict continues, because the War Powers Resolution of 1973 limits military action without a congressional declaration of war to 60 days, after which the president can trigger a 30-day extension to withdraw troops.
The U.S. conflict with Iran passed the 60-day mark in early May, though the administration has argued the clock was stopped with a ceasefire last month. Moore said that the argument raised obvious "legal questions," but said that Congress is serious about enforcing its war powers.
"The administration knows folks are serious about, 'Hey, 60 days is 60 days,'" the congressman told the KSL and Deseret News editorial boards Monday. "We need to do something."
Moore said there are several proposals to extend military authorization and said he would be "very supportive" of an extension if it were done in "the right way." He said Congress is "in a bit of a holding pattern" because of the ceasefire, but said discussions will ramp up when members return to Washington this week.
"If we were to be into full-on combat again and actual military operations, there's going to be a lot of concern that we're operating without an (authorization for use of military force)," he said. "So we would want to get that language right."
President Donald Trump on Sunday rejected Iran's response to the latest proposal for peace talks to end the war, and the president said Monday the ceasefire is on "life support."
While the window for military action under the War Powers Act has passed, Maloy said there is also an argument that the president can still take action against terrorist groups — of which Iran is a large sponsor — under the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force passed after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
But if that is the case, Maloy said Congress needs to find a consensus to express that, and "do something" on the ongoing conflict, though she didn't say precisely what action she would support.
"I am committed to working with my colleagues and finding a solution that makes it clear to our troops that what they're doing is legal and sanctioned by the United States of America," she told the KSL and Deseret News editorial boards on Friday. "I started working with my colleagues months ago on this, of what do we need to do to make sure that any action we're taking as a country, it's clear to the American people and to our troops that they are covered — that it's legal."
Maloy said she supports the administration's efforts to end Iran's nuclear program, which is one of the stated goals of the current conflict and the stated reason for strikes on an Iranian nuclear facility last year.
"Somebody was going to have to do something about Iran's nuclear program and the Ayatollah at some point," she said. "So, I supported the president taking action on that, but the law says that he's got 60 days, and then Congress has to do something. So, now it's time for us to figure out what our move is."
Moore agreed with preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons and was hopeful about the potential for a deal on nuclear restraints in exchange for lifting sanctions and other economic penalties on Iran.
"There's potential there for a deal, and I'm hopeful that we can get to that sooner (rather) than later," he said.
