Massie: Hegseth is breaking the law with Iran war

by Finya Swai 

07/24/26 12:13 PM ET

Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) accused Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth of “breaking the law” on Thursday, arguing the Trump administration is attempting to portray the Iran conflict as two separate wars in order to avoid seeking congressional authorization.
Massie made the claim in response to reporting from The New York Times that said the Pentagon lowered the number of U.S. service members listed as killed in the war from 18 to 14.

“Let me explain this absurd ruse: The Pentagon is pretending there have been two Iran wars separated by a brief cease-fire,” he wrote on the social platform X.

The Kentucky Republican, who lost his reelection bid in May after President Trump backed his opponent in the Kentucky GOP primary, added that Hegseth is “BREAKING THE LAW” by engaging in military operations for “more than 90 days without congressional authorization.”

According to the Times, three military officials said the Trump administration removed the names of four service members who were killed last weekend — three in Jordan and one in northern Iraq — from its casualty count because their deaths occurred after a ceasefire was declared. Trump earlier this week attended the dignified transfer of the same troops.

Acting Pentagon press secretary Joel Valdez told the outlet that the lower count was due to “temporary data disruptions” and “site anomalies” that he said were being resolved.

“The department attempted to explain the anomalies to The New York Times ahead of publication, but given their lack of knowledge in this area, they proceeded to write a non-story,” he said. “We remain committed to ensuring the utmost accuracy of all casualty reporting.”

Massie argued that treating the renewed fighting as a separate conflict would allow the administration to restart the timeline established under the War Powers Resolution of 1973. Fighting in the region began in late February, but a temporary ceasefire was reached during now-stalled peace talks.

A 14-point memorandum of understanding signed by the U.S. and Iran last month, which included another pause in fighting, has since crumbled as each side accused the other of violating the terms. The U.S. military completed its 13th night of strikes early Friday.

Under the War Powers Resolution, a president must end unauthorized U.S. military involvement within 60 days unless Congress formally declares war or otherwise approves the operation. The president may also receive an additional 30 days to safely withdraw U.S. troops.

The House earlier this week passed a war powers resolution that would limit the military operation in the Middle East. Lawmakers in the Senate, however, failed to pass a similar measure.