Chris Donovan
Chris Donovan covers the domestic side of US foreign policy — Congress, the White House, the Federal Reserve, and how war and oil shocks land at home — for America Strikes.
Recent reporting
America's 250th Opens With Trump's Iran Line at Rushmore
Trump's July 3 Mount Rushmore speech doubled as the semiquincentennial kickoff and an Iran update, timed to a funeral Tehran chose to hold on July 4 itself.
Congressional Briefings Begin as the Halt Stays Unverified at Hour 42
Senate and House committees move toward classified briefings as the halt enters hour 42 with no Iranian confirmation, no tanker transit, and no Oman working group statement.
Congress Has the War Powers Filing: What the 60-Day Clock Means
The administration's notification triggers a 60-day authorization window running to August 25 — giving Congress three options and a deadline it has never successfully enforced.
War Powers Clock Expires: Administration Filing Due as Sunday Closes
The 48-hour War Powers deadline for CENTCOM's first Iran strike expires Sunday at 21:35 UTC — the filing will put the administration's legal theory on the record.
War Powers Deadline Tonight: Two Strikes, Possible Third on the Table
The administration's 48-hour War Powers notification is due Sunday night. It now covers two CENTCOM strike packages and a presidential signal that a third may follow.
CENTCOM Struck Iran. The War Powers Clock Is Running.
The War Powers Resolution requires 48-hour congressional notification after US forces enter hostilities. CENTCOM struck Iran at 21:35 UTC Friday. The deadline is Sunday night.
Hormuz Strike Reshuffles Congress's $87 Billion Iran Fight
The cargo ship incident arrives hours after Trump's emergency supplemental reached Capitol Hill, stripping supplemental skeptics of their strongest argument — for now.
Trump Asks Congress for $87 Billion to Cover Iran War Costs
The president's emergency supplemental request arrives a day after lawmakers rebuked his military action, setting up a difficult fight on Capitol Hill.
Geneva MOU Routes Around the Senate, Not Through It
Friday's Geneva memorandum will be signed by Vice President J.D. Vance, not ratified by the Senate. The executive-only architecture decides who can enforce it.
House Passes War Powers Resolution on Iran, 215-208
The House voted 215-208 to invoke the 1973 War Powers Act, directing Trump to withdraw US forces from Iran operations within 30 days unless Congress authorizes the conflict.
House Votes to Halt Iran War in Rebuke of Trump
The House invoked war powers to order a withdrawal from Iran, delivering a politically significant rebuke as Republican defections handed the president his sharpest congressional defeat on the conflict.
Congress Prepares for a Consequential Iran Vote
The House and Senate are closer than ever to passing war powers resolutions ordering a withdrawal from Iran, as Rubio concedes Tehran retains asymmetric military capabilities.
Bipartisan Senate Pushback Hardens Against Trump Iran Deal Framework
Senate Democrats call the leaked terms 'worse than before' the JCPOA while a bloc of pro-Israel Republicans warns of a 'disastrous mistake' ahead of Sunday's announcement.
House GOP Pulls Iran War Powers Vote a Second Day as Defections Threaten Trump's Authority
Johnson held the Iran war powers resolution off the floor a second straight day as a Massie-Davidson-Fitzpatrick-Barrett bloc plus a Golden flip threatened to force U.S. forces out.
House GOP yanks Iran war powers vote as Democrats close in
Republican leaders pulled the Iran war powers resolution from the House floor Thursday after a procedural vote signaled defeat, punting the measure to June.
GOP fissures widen on Iran war as Massie ouster steels Trump
House and Senate war-powers votes this week could deliver Trump a public rebuke from his own party as the Iran war hits day 82 — even as the Massie defeat shows the cost of dissent.
Pentagon Weighs Renaming Iran War 'Sledgehammer' to Reset Clock
NBC News reports Pentagon planners are preparing to rebrand the Iran campaign as "Operation Sledgehammer" if the ceasefire collapses, a move that would restart the 60-day War Powers clock.
Collins Joins Paul as Only GOP Votes for Iran War Powers Resolution
Sen. Susan Collins broke with her party April 30 to vote for the Iran War Powers Resolution, citing the 60-day constitutional deadline that lapsed the next day.
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