We are tracking two developments of huge interest to Capitol Hill regarding the war on Iran.
Project Freedom pause. After top Trump administration officials spent all Tuesday trying to explain “Project Freedom” — the U.S. effort to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to civilian shipping — President Donald Trump announced he was suspending the mission.
Trump cited ongoing talks with Iranian officials as a reason for the delay. However, Trump said the Navy’s blockade of Iranian ports would continue.
According to a Trump post on Truth Social, “Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine spoke extensively about Project Freedom on Tuesday, saying U.S. combat operations against Iran were over and that this operation was what American officials were focused on.
Oil prices eased slightly following Trump’s pronouncement as financial markets welcomed potential signs that the U.S.-Iran tensions may be easing.
Rubio on the WPA. Rubio said at the White House Tuesday that he believes the War Powers Act is unconstitutional and the Trump administration only complies with “elements” of it.
Here’s the quote from Rubio:
“The War Powers Act is unconstitutional — 100 percent. Now, this is not the position of me, it’s not the position of the president of the United States now. This is the position of every single president that has occupied this position since the day that law passed. It’s completely unconstitutional. Now, we comply with it in terms of notification, because we want to preserve good relations with Congress …
“We don’t acknowledge the law as constitutional; nonetheless, we comply with elements of it for purposes of maintaining good relations with Congress and we want them to be involved, and we want them to be informed. I have gone on Capitol Hill four times this year for all senators and all House members and intel committee and Gang of Eight.”
The thrust of Rubio’s remark is that the Trump administration doesn’t really care much about the War Powers Act or Congress’ role on Iran. Rubio says that the administration is complying with some of the law and seems comfortable with that fact. This view is important to consider when you see Democrats and a handful of Republicans threatening to force votes on war powers resolutions.
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