By — Dan Sagalyn Dan Sagalyn By — Madison Staten Madison Staten By — Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara By — Veronica Vela Veronica Vela By — Zeba Warsi Zeba Warsi By — Juliet Fuisz Juliet Fuisz By — Alexa Gold Alexa Gold By — Sonia Kopelev Sonia Kopelev By — Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/video/compass-points/2026/04/will-congress-push-back-as-trump-tests-presidential-power Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Story President Trump is not the first to push the boundaries of his power as commander in chief. The law on war powers gives presidents 60 days to conduct military operations without congressional approval. That timeframe for Iran is about to end. Will Congress assert power and push back? Guest moderator Lisa Desjardins discusses that with former Sen. Ben Cardin and former Rep. Connie Mack IV. By — Dan Sagalyn Dan Sagalyn As the deputy senior producer for foreign affairs and defense at the PBS NewsHour, Dan plays a key role in helping oversee and produce the program’s foreign affairs and defense stories. His pieces have broken new ground on an array of military issues, exposing debates simmering outside the public eye. @DanSagalyn By — Madison Staten Madison Staten By — Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara Satvi Sunkara is a producer for PBS News. By — Veronica Vela Veronica Vela By — Zeba Warsi Zeba Warsi Zeba Warsi is a foreign affairs producer, based in Washington DC. She's a Columbia Journalism School graduate with an M.A. in Political journalism. She was one of the leading members of the NewsHour team that won the 2024 Peabody award for News for our coverage of the war in Gaza and Israel. @Zebaism By — Juliet Fuisz Juliet Fuisz By — Alexa Gold Alexa Gold Alexa Gold is an associate producer for PBS News. By — Sonia Kopelev Sonia Kopelev By — Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert Zoie Lambert is an associate producer for PBS News.