Democrats fail to shatter Republicans' resolve on eve of crucial Iran deadline

By Fox News · Fox News

Senate Democrats again failed to splinter Republicans’ unified support for President Donald Trump ’s conflict with Iran amid the looming Friday deadline to curb his war powers. The vote marks the sixth time Republicans have rejected a Democrat-led resolution aimed at handcuffing the president’s authority and halting the conflict. Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., made one final push to limit Trump ahead of the deadline requiring Congress to decide whether the U.S. should or should not continue fighting in the Middle East. Sixty days after Trump’s first notification to Congress of his strikes in Iran is when lawmakers are supposed to either authorize or halt the war. That deadline hits Friday, May 1, when lawmakers are expected to be gone from Washington, D.C., for a weeklong recess. HEGSETH TESTIFIES AT SENATE AS IRAN WAR'S $25B PRICE TAG AND 60-DAY WAR POWERS DEADLINE LOOM While some Republicans have raised issue with extending the conflict past the 60-day mark and are mulling an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF), Schiff said that side effort was "too late. "The mere introduction of one is not sufficient," Schiff said. "And there's no way that's going to pass both houses and get signed by the president today." Meanwhile, Republicans argue that Trump has unilateral authority, without Congress’ explicit say-so, to continue the war for 30 more days. However, that window is meant to be a drawdown period to pull out military assets and prevent a sudden and possibly chaotic exit rather than continue a raging and active conflict. So far, Trump’s move to indefinitely extend the ceasefire in the region has held. AFTER THIRD ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT, DEBATE GROWS OVER WHETHER TRUMP ATTACK WARRANTS ANOTHER INVESTIGATION For now, it appears there isn’t a desire to put an authorization vote on the floor. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has deferred that decision to his Republican colleagues, rather than unilaterally force the issue. "At this point, I don't s…