1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I'm calling on you to support new Democratic leadership that will actually use Congress's constitutional war powers to stop unauthorized military operations like Operation Epic Fury in Iran. The current leadership has failed spectacularly. Since February 28, when Trump began bombing Iran without congressional authorization, Democrats have forced four separate votes to end U.S. military involvement. All four failed. Sen. Tim Kaine himself admitted these efforts were "unlikely to succeed" and were mainly about getting members "on record." That's not leadership. That's political theater while $12 billion gets spent, the Strait of Hormuz closes, and children die in Iranian schools. Democrats control the appropriations power. They could refuse to pass the Pentagon's $200 billion supplemental request. They could use the National Defense Authorization Act process as leverage. Instead, they're settling for symbolic votes they know will lose. Meanwhile, Republican leadership calls any real action "a terrible, dangerous idea" and Democrats just shrug. The 60-day War Powers Resolution deadline has passed. Article I, Section 8 gives Congress alone the power to declare war. If Democratic leadership won't use that power when it matters most, we need leaders who will.