1. United States
2. Ohio
3. Letter

I am writing to express my strong opposition to President Trump’s recent pledge of $10 billion in taxpayer funds to the newly established "Board of Peace." This proposal is a flagrant violation of the "Power of the Purse" established in Article I of the Constitution. The President does not have the authority to unilaterally commit $10 billion of our money to an international organization that he personally chairs and controls. I am deeply concerned about several aspects of this "Board of Peace": -- Lack of Oversight: The Board is structured as a private-interest entity under the President’s personal chairmanship, rather than a transparent government agency subject to standard federal oversight. -- The "Pay-to-Play" Model: Reports indicate that countries are being asked to "buy" permanent seats for $1 billion. Taxpayer money should not be used to subsidize a "slush fund" for an organization that bypasses traditional diplomatic and legislative channels. -- Fiscal Irresponsibility: At a time when our national budget faces significant scrutiny, committing $10 billion to a project that was created by executive fiat—without a single vote from Congress—is unacceptable. Furthermore, this proposal appears to be a redundant and dangerous attempt to circumvent the United Nations. Maintaining global peace and coordinating international reconstruction is precisely why the UN exists. By attempting to replace a 193-member sovereign body with a 'Board' that requires a $1 billion 'buy-in' for permanent membership, the administration is replacing established international law with a transactional system that lacks legitimacy and accountability. We should be strengthening our existing commitments, not funnelling billions into a parallel organization that serves as a 'shadow UN' under the President’s personal control. I urge you to use your authority to block any attempts to "reprogram" or "impound" existing funds for this purpose. I also ask that you support legislation, such as that proposed by Senator Murphy and others, to explicitly prohibit the transfer of federal dollars to the Board of Peace without a formal Act of Congress. Our democracy relies on the principle that the people’s representatives decide how the people’s money is spent. Please stand up for the Constitution and the interests of your constituents by refusing to fund this vanity project.