{"text":[[{"start":11,"text":"The Trump administration is coming under mounting pressure over its war in Iran, with some Republican lawmakers breaking ranks and challenging the US president’s authority to keep waging his increasingly unpopular conflict."}],[{"start":23.6,"text":"With the war poised to enter its third month and oil prices continuing to rise amid uncertainty over the conflict, a handful of lawmakers in President Donald Trump’s party are looking to convince him to get congressional approval for further military action while a shaky ceasefire remains in place. "}],[{"start":40.7,"text":"John Curtis, a first-term Republican senator from Utah, on Thursday called on lawmakers to invoke the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which requires the president to wind down any use of military forces within 60 days of troops being sent into conflict unless Congress has declared war or authorised further military action. The law also allows for a 30-day extension to remove troops from conflict. "}],[{"start":66.6,"text":"Friday will mark 60 days since Trump notified Congress that he had begun strikes in Iran. "}],[{"start":72.19999999999999,"text":"“As we reach this 60-day mark, it is time for decision-making from both the administration and from Congress,” Curtis said on Thursday, adding he was engaged in “thoughtful discussions” with fellow senators and the White House on a “path forward that honours our respective constitutional roles”."}],[{"start":90.35,"text":"Two other Republican senators, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Susan Collins of Maine, also broke ranks on Thursday to vote with all but one Democratic senator on a resolution directing the administration to remove American forces from the Iran conflict. The measure nevertheless failed to advance in the Republican-controlled Senate."}],[{"start":110.85,"text":"Curtis, who voted against the resolution, said Trump’s authority as commander-in-chief was “not without limits.” "}],[{"start":117.75,"text":"“The Constitution gives Congress an essential role in decisions of war and peace, and the War Powers Act establishes a clear 60-day deadline for Congress to either authorise or end US involvement in foreign hostilities,” he said."}],[{"start":132.3,"text":"US defence secretary Pete Hegseth told senators on Thursday that the administration did not need congressional authorisation to continue the war because the 60-day timeline had been halted due to the ceasefire with Tehran."}],[{"start":146.3,"text":"“On Iran, ultimately I would defer to the White House and White House counsel on that, however we are in a ceasefire right now, which our understanding means the 60-day clock pauses or stops in a ceasefire,” Hegseth told the Senate armed services committee."}],[{"start":160.85000000000002,"text":"The US and Iran on April 8 agreed a two-week ceasefire, which has been extended by Trump, who has also enforced a “blockade” on Iranian ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway through which a fifth of the world’s oil passes."}],[{"start":176.3,"text":"Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal, a member of the armed services committee, told reporters that the administration appeared ready to “blow through the 60-day deadline, illegally and unwisely”. "}],[{"start":187.35000000000002,"text":"A White House official said the administration was in “active conversations with the Hill on this topic” but criticised lawmakers who questioned Trump’s legal authority."}],[{"start":196.10000000000002,"text":"“Members of Congress who try to score political points by usurping the commander-in-chief’s authority would only undermine the United States military abroad, which no elected official should want to do,” the official added."}],[{"start":209.55,"text":"Despite the criticisms from a handful of Republicans, most GOP lawmakers are reluctant to challenge the president’s legal authority. "}],[{"start":217.55,"text":"Republican Senator Mike Rounds, a member of the armed services committee, told reporters he needed to do an “analysis” of what the law said about the 60-day timeline, but added he was “not going to disagree with [Hegseth] at this stage”."}],[{"start":232.75,"text":"Florida Republican Senator Rick Scott said: “The president has got the right to use the military to defend freedom in this country.” "}],[{"start":240.45,"text":"“President Trump has been transparent with the Hill since before Operation Epic Fury began, and administration officials provided over 30 bipartisan briefings for members of Congress to keep them apprised of military updates,” said White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. “The president’s preference is always diplomacy, and Iran wants to make a deal.”"}],[{"start":271.34999999999997,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777598682_2429.mp3"}