美国在 2 月 28 日开始对伊朗投下炸弹后，白宫一再避免把这场冲突称为战争；在 4 月 7 日以来脆弱停火一直维持的情况下，唐纳德·特朗普总统于 5 月 1 日宣布敌对行动「终止」，之后又表示停火处于「巨大的生命维持状态」。文章认为，这种措辞是为了规避 1973 年《战争权力决议》，该决议要求在 48 小时内通报敌对行动，并在 60 天内结束战事，除非国会授权；这一期限已于 5 月 1 日到期。国会尚未采取正式立场，而政府也没有提出追加资金请求，尽管这场冲突已经牵动美国海军舰艇、战斗机和数千名部队。
文章说，特朗普政府和五角大楼使用了诸如「防御性弹药的临床应用」之类的委婉说法，而国务卿 Marco Rubio 表示，在美国于 Epic Fury 行动中达成目标后，攻势阶段已经「结束」。停火后射击再次开始，包括对伊朗海军快艇的攻击，而白宫据报正在权衡重新轰炸，或冒险维持商船通过荷姆兹海峡。文中引用与彭博相关的数据显示，荷姆兹海峡对船只仍然关闭，凸显尽管官方声称如此，这项行动在实际上并未结束。
文章估计，Epic Fury 到目前为止的成本已达 29 billion，并警告说，只要美军继续部署，装备、人力、战备以及弹药库存所承受的负担就会越来越重，而任何重新爆发的战斗都会提高美军伤亡的风险。文章指出，国会自 1942 年以来就没有宣战，自 2002 年以来也没有正式授权动用军事力量，并认为立法者，尤其是控制两院的共和党人，应当要么争取一项附带限制与期限的正式授权，要么推动透过外交退出。警告是，持续规避可能同时带来战争权力上的象征性失败，以及今年秋天期中选举中的政治反弹。
After US bombs began falling on Iran on Feb. 28, the White House repeatedly avoided calling the conflict a war, with President Donald Trump declaring hostilities “terminated” on May 1 after a fragile ceasefire had held since April 7, and later saying the ceasefire was on “massive life support.” The article argues that this language is designed to evade the 1973 War Powers Resolution, which requires notification within 48 hours of hostilities and an end to fighting within 60 days unless Congress authorizes it; that deadline passed on May 1. Congress has taken no official position, and the administration has not asked for a supplemental funding request, even as the conflict has drawn in US naval ships, fighter jets, and thousands of troops.
The piece says the Trump administration and Pentagon have used euphemisms such as “clinical application of defensive munitions” and that Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the offensive phase had “concluded” after the US had achieved its objectives in Operation Epic Fury. Shooting resumed after the ceasefire, including attacks on Iranian naval speedboats, and the White House is reportedly weighing either renewed bombing or a risky effort to keep commercial vessels moving through the Strait of Hormuz. Bloomberg-linked data in the article indicates that Hormuz remains closed to ships, underscoring how the operation has not ended in practice despite official claims.
The article estimates the costs of Epic Fury at $29 billion so far, warning that the longer US forces remain deployed, the more the burden grows on equipment, manpower, readiness, and munitions stockpiles, while any renewed combat would increase the risk of US casualties. It notes Congress has not declared war since 1942 and has not formally authorized military force since 2002, and argues that lawmakers, especially Republicans who control both chambers, should either secure a formal authorization with limits and deadlines or push for a diplomatic exit. The warning is that continued evasion could bring both a symbolic defeat on war powers and a political rebuke in the midterm elections this fall.