1. United States
2. Ind.
3. Letter

Subject: Congressional Oversight Needed on Threatened Use of the Insurrection Act Dear Member of Congress, I am writing as an American citizen to express deep concern regarding recent public threats by the President to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests in Minnesota, despite the absence of a request from state authorities and without clear evidence that civilian law enforcement has failed. The Insurrection Act is an extraordinary and dangerous exception to the long-standing principle that the U.S. military should not be used for domestic law enforcement. Its use is historically limited to extreme circumstances: when a state formally requests assistance, when constitutional rights cannot otherwise be protected, or when the enforcement of federal law has become truly impracticable through civilian means. Based on publicly available information, none of these thresholds appear to have been met. The threat alone is alarming. Even without immediate deployment, publicly signaling a willingness to use federal troops against civilians sets a dangerous national precedent. This is not merely a Minnesota issue. The Insurrection Act is a federal statute, and any normalization of its use—or threat of use—affects every state and every American by expanding executive power at the expense of civil authority, federalism, and constitutional restraint. Congress has a clear responsibility in this moment. Under the Constitution, Congress is charged with oversight of the executive branch, defining the scope of federal law, and safeguarding the balance between civilian governance and military force. When a president signals an intent to deploy troops domestically without state consent or demonstrable legal necessity, congressional silence becomes acquiescence. I urge you to take the following actions: * Publicly affirm that the Insurrection Act must be used only as a last resort and within its narrow statutory bounds. * Exercise congressional oversight to demand justification, legal analysis, and factual evidence for any threatened invocation. * Consider legislative reforms to clarify and constrain the Act so it cannot be used as a political or coercive tool against states or the public. Emergency powers should not be wielded lightly, nor used as instruments of intimidation. The legitimacy of our constitutional system depends not only on how laws are enforced, but on how carefully power is restrained before force is ever deployed. I ask you to act decisively to uphold civilian rule, constitutional balance, and the rights of the American people. Thank you