1. United States
2. Va.
3. Letter

The president's actions to deploy federal forces in Washington, D.C. without the consent of local officials are a dangerous overreach of executive power and a violation of the principles of federalism enshrined in the Constitution. This extraordinary move to overstep the authority of D.C.'s elected leadership sets a disturbing precedent that threatens the separation of powers and civilian control of the military. Congress must act urgently to reassert its constitutional authority as a co-equal branch of government. Decisive action is needed to rein in this president's repeated abuses of power and restore the proper system of checks and balances. The stability of our democratic system depends on your leadership at this critical moment.