1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

I am writing as a concerned constituent to respectfully request immediate congressional oversight hearings regarding recent U.S. military actions directed at Iran, as well as broader constitutional questions surrounding executive authority. Under Article I of the Constitution of the United States, Congress holds the power to declare war. Article II designates the President as Commander in Chief. To reinforce this balance, Congress enacted the War Powers Resolution of 1973, requiring notification within 48 hours of introducing U.S. forces into hostilities and limiting sustained engagement without congressional authorization. Recent reporting by major outlets, including The Washington Post (Feb. 28, 2026), describes U.S. military operations against Iranian targets characterized as “major combat operations.” Lawmakers, including Senators Charles Schumer, Tim Kaine, and Adam Schiff, publicly questioned whether these actions were undertaken without explicit congressional authorization. Earlier reporting from The Christian Science Monitor (Feb. 26, 2026) also described June 2025 U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities that similarly prompted debate over whether Congress had authorized such actions. These developments raise serious constitutional questions about the separation of powers and Congress’s Article I authority. In addition, as you are aware, the Constitution provides that a president may be impeached and removed from office for “Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.” Historically, “high crimes and misdemeanors” has been understood to include serious abuses of power, obstruction of lawful governmental functions, corruption, or conduct fundamentally incompatible with constitutional duties — even if not indictable as statutory crimes. President Trump was previously impeached twice by the United States House of Representatives — once in 2019 and again in 2021. The second impeachment charged him with incitement of insurrection following the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. He was acquitted both times by the United States Senate. Those proceedings underscored Congress’s constitutional role in addressing alleged abuses of executive power. Given: The reported initiation of significant military action without express congressional authorization, Prior constitutional controversies surrounding executive conduct, and The potential for escalation into broader armed conflict, I respectfully request that Congress: Convene immediate public oversight hearings regarding the legal authority relied upon for recent military actions. Require formal written justification from the executive branch detailing statutory and constitutional grounds for those actions. Clarify whether existing Authorizations for Use of Military Force apply. Reaffirm Congress’s constitutional war-declaring authority. Determine whether any conduct warrants further constitutional proceedings under Article II, Section 4. If formal constitutional proceedings are initiated, the Constitution provides that the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States presides over a presidential impeachment trial in the Senate. While oversight hearings themselves are legislative in nature, any escalation to impeachment would require adherence to that constitutional framework. My request is not based on partisanship but on the principle that decisions involving military force and executive authority must be subject to transparent constitutional review. The preservation of the separation of powers is fundamental to our system of government. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and for your continued service in upholding the Constitution.