1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

Dear Senator Moreno, Senator Husted, Representative Troy Balderson, and the rest of Ohio’s congressional delegation, I was genuinely surprised to learn that one proposed response to wildfire smoke drifting into Ohio is to sanction Canada. Respectfully, this may be one of the more creative attempts I’ve seen to solve a weather problem with foreign policy. Wildfire smoke doesn’t stop at customs. It doesn’t show a passport. It doesn’t care about tariffs, sanctions, or strongly worded press releases. It’s carried by wind—something that, to my knowledge, neither Congress nor the Treasury Department has jurisdiction over. If sanctions are now the preferred response to atmospheric conditions, I look forward to future proposals: * Sanction Florida for sending us hurricanes. * Penalize Alaska every time a cold front reaches Ohio. * Invoice the Gulf of Mexico for humidity. * Fine the moon whenever it causes high tides. Canada didn’t pack smoke into trucks and send it across the border. They’re battling catastrophic wildfires that are devastating communities, destroying forests, and putting firefighters’ lives at risk. The smoke affecting Ohio is a consequence of a natural disaster, not an act of economic aggression. Ohioans elected you to address issues like the economy, healthcare, infrastructure, energy, and public safety—not to declare diplomatic war on the jet stream. If the goal is cleaner air, there are serious conversations worth having about wildfire management, emergency preparedness, climate resilience, cross-border cooperation, and public health. Threatening sanctions because the wind blew in the wrong direction is not one of them. I hope this proposal receives exactly the amount of serious consideration it deserves. Ohio needs leaders focused on solving real problems—not auditioning for the next late-night comedy monologue.