1. United States
2. N.C.
3. Letter

I am writing as your constituent to urge you not to abdicate Congress’s constitutional authority over war. If the United States is at war with Iran, Congress must debate and vote on it. The Constitution gives Congress—not the President alone—the power to declare war. Vague claims of an “untenable threat” are not a substitute for authorization. If there was an imminent danger requiring force, Congress should have been consulted and asked to approve it. American service members are already in harm’s way. Their lives, and the lives of others, should not be risked under an open-ended and unauthorized military campaign. The American people deserve clarity about the objectives, scope, and duration of this conflict. Please insist on a formal authorization before any further escalation and oppose any blank-check authority for continued war.